Shooting Stars: Shackles of Servitude
by Eric566
Summary: At a first glance, the world around us is quite nice. Our friends and family make our lives comfortable, and keep us from thinking about the disasters that happen at the other end of the world. But unfortunately, Jake the Sneasel, after accepting a mission to hunt down an assassin threatening a shady business woman, will have no other choice but to face a world he'd rather ignore.


**Before the chapter begins, here's some viewer discretion: THIS IS A SIDESTORY TO MY MAIN FICS, THE POKEMON CHRONICLES SERIES. THESE CHAPTERS WILL CONTAIN MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOTH A HERO'S REBIRTH AND WEB OF LIES. AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH CHAPTER IT WILL BE SPECIFIED AT WHICH POINT IT IS OK TO READ THEM.**

 **These chapters, titled Shooting Stars, narrate the stories of the members of Team Star, delving into their characters so as to better understand them and expand the world they live in. They are not necessary, as their backstories and motivations are already known in the fic by the point these are published, and so they only serve the purpose to expand these stories and give you guys more content to read, which is never a bad thing.**

 **That being said, these stories will be much more mature and serious than the main things, and each chapter will have it's own set of controversial topics that are tackled by the characters. For this reason, understand that this is all written from an artistic perspective, and that NONE OF THE PHILOSOPHIES AND IDEOLOGIES EXPLORED AND CRITICIZED IN THESE WORKS REFLECT MY OWN PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD AND SOCIETY WE LIVE IN. This is simply an exercise to improve my writing skills, bring up issues and ideals and in the best case scenario, get you to think about some stuff.**

 **This chapter will focus on Jake the Sneasel, the Sixth member for Team Star, the methodical tactician behind some of their greatest plans and successes. However, from an outsider's perspective, he may appear to be someone cold and distant… But that is far away from the truth. This chapter is recommended to be read: After completing AHR and beginning WoL. Proceeding further WILL SPOIL YOU.**

 **Without any further delay, enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Those who plead for freedom…**_

 _ **Are the ones least deserving of it.**_

I walk down the pristine white corridor, two guards on either side as they escort me to the most secluded area of that prison. The more dangerous cells were already far behind us, with the most detestable of criminals eyeing my weak and frail body with their despicable eyes. They no doubt hate me with every inch of their being, and if they had the chance they would use that anger to spring against the bars, bite, chew and tear their way through those bars and rip my throat and arms out to satisfy their lust for vengeance. But those bars in the way, forever imprisoned inside their hearts… just like myself, in a certain way.

The cells fade out of view to be replaced by those impeccable marble walls, clear enough to see my own reflection: a Sneasel with a darker fur than usual, bright blue gems where they should be yellow and leather gloves on each arm. Some would say I look rather presentable or dashing, others would shun me for appearing before them naked. That may probably be what those guards think of me right now. I don't much care for their faces, race or appearance, for I am more intrigued by those black robes they wear to hide their bodies. A strange fashion, if I do say so myself, but it is widely defended as an attempt to become closer to our ancestors: humans.

We reach the door and they stop. It had been exactly three months, two weeks, ten days, seven hours and twenty four seconds since I had last seen him. Quite a lengthy amount of time, considering I am essentially the only thing he's ever had to a family. He has many friends though, most of which come from the same doomed future that we escaped from by the skin of our teeth. They are far away now, and only I have the free time to permit ourselves the luxury of meeting.

And even then, it is a complicated affair.

"You have two hours. Your package has already been delivered. We will be monitoring you all the time, so don't try anything funny. Understood?" Their words remind of his unfair situation, and even though impossible without resulting in death, my blood boils with anger. Had they been using some kind thermic detector they would've noticed the spike of heat in my usually cool body, but alas I remained silent and nodded. I needn't waste my breath with simpletons such as them: following orders was acceptable, but not questioning them when they were so vile was unforgivable.

I chuckle as I enter the luxurious cell though, reminding myself of the irony in my thoughts. I believe he also understands what I am thinking, as I hear him chuckle from his bed. The room, as I said, was in a very good state all things considered: white walls, marble floor, a bookcase with plenty of interesting titles, a latrine for more bodily necessities and a small table and two chairs for Dusknoir and some guests. My former master was of course lying on his bed, the wrapping of the package having been taken apart with care, the colored paper with the words "Hang in there" laying on the floor still in one piece. He was now entertaining himself with one of the books that had been waiting, and on the table waited the cake that I had prepared for him alongside Elly, with the words "Happy Birthday" and the number forty eight right above.

"I am truly touched that you remembered my birthday this year as well, Jake… Do give everyone my regards once you meet them again." His voice had yet to waver after spending almost three years in that prison, with no prospects of leaving it any time soon. His cell didn't exactly contribute to desires of freedom I'd imagine, courtesy of Virkov's involvement in his detention no doubt, something for the which I was extremely grateful.

"I will. I personally picked that book for you. Each of its pages is a brain teaser all of its own, forcing you to use your mind to solve riddles and problems."

"It will help make the long hours of the day go by much quicker… my sincerest thanks, Jake." He no longer called me by my title, or referred to me as his servant. He treated me like his equal with zero effort, unlike myself, since I struggled to repress an honorary title every so often.

I slowly approached him and stood still, unsure of what to do for the time being before he left his book and slowly leaned in to hug me. I didn't know what else to do besides awkwardly returning the affection, letting him dictate when the embrace would end. "I see you still have to work on your social skills…" He reminded me as he retreated, getting off of his bed and floating to the table. "You always had trouble expressing your emotions, even as a child, but I can't help but feel that they've… accentuated between our last meeting and this one."

Sharp as ever. How I had been loathing the moment he'd notice my weakness, my doubts finally surfacing and taking over my actions as I stumbled and tripped over the same rock over and over… Still, I conceded and nodded. "Yes… Something has happened during the span of these three months… Dusknoir." Once again, held back my words. "And it has forced me to re-assess the meaning behind emotional bonds." He leaned back in his chair and locked his eyes with mine. No doubt he wanted to hear the story, but a glimmer in his eyes told me he wanted something else before hand.

I wasn't a fool. Even if he had been at one time a god to me, he was still very much mortal. With a smirk, I reached into my bag and pulled out a knife, carving into the cake in front of us and cutting it into eight exact pieces. I placed the knife beside the sweet and allowed him to choose first, and once he did and only then, did I grab a small slice for myself and begin my tale.

* * *

It all transpired a month ago, and like with every unforeseeable event, it began on a completely normal morning. The team was as lively as ever, what with a slight decrease in our duties ever since we'd returned from our temporal interdimensional vacation, everyone was in high spirits that perhaps today we would have a day off and would only need to help around town. I, of course, was assigned to visit the Guild for more missions, and it was there that my tale finally begins.

"...And that's the way I always end my stories really. The temptation for some mighty plot twist is always there of course, what with the girl running away with some poor guy that she truly loves… but let's be honest, that's just what everyone does, so instead I go for a more realistic approach." Serge finished his spiel as we entered the new and improved Guild, and I couldn't help but respond with a sigh. "What, something wrong?"

Every time he asks that I'm inclined to tell him my worries and doubts about his activities before his joining the team… But I'd rather stay quiet for now. Besides, he was more of an intellectual than he lead on, though misguided. "Whatever impact those endings have is surely made irrelevant by the sheer amount of pornographic material you would've fit beforehand. Admit it Serge, that your novels sell not because of their characters, but rather lack of character."

"Oh. Oh! Oh so that's how it's gonna be then! We'll I'll have you know that I am doing a public service here! People need to fulfill their needs, and some just don't have the necessary means to do so!"

"Oh, is that true? Wouldn't the price of a book such as yours far surpass that of a cheap concubine, which would most likely grant the customer greater pleasure than masturbation with a literary aid?"

"So then why do you think my books are selling, huh?"

"I am not entitled to answer that question… but if I had to guess, it may probably be linked to young males scrounging together enough money to allow themselves to buy them… But I digress, I am not the one you should be questioning about these topics, but rather Nox. Elly has repeatedly told me that she has found a large amount of your books hidden away under his bed."

"Wha- Little bastard never told me! Why in the world… Ok that's just… I don't know how to take that." He truly mustn't, as he went silent for the rest of our stay in the guild. Perhaps the idea that someone so close and dear to him was, quote "getting off" with the very material he produced was too much of a shock. Either way, whether he confronted the young Houndour about it or not isn't relevant to the story. As we expected, there were next to no missions left for us, and once again Chimecho mocked us saying we'd been late to the party.

"You should've seen how everyone was hunting down those missions. Things have been pretty rough as of late, and here at the guild we're all extremely motivated to keep things running and contribute to town."

"Yeah, but we need money to eat though." Serge retaliated with the money card, which was a usual occurrence nowadays, which in turn made the Chimecho shrug and respond that we could check the board again, just in case a new mission had been posted. This wasn't the case however, but we were not discouraged by this apparent lack of missions and pressed on, questioning some of the Magnemites and policemen, but none of them had any assignments asides from listening to their issues with the newer schedules and competition with other law enforcing factions.

As we headed to the entrance, however, we were stopped by the Guildmaster's right paw pokémon, Chatot, who hailed us with his wing and said quite a peculiar thing. "Oh, there you are! You must've finally talked with that poor Froslass, correct?" Serge and I looked at eachother in confusion, then questioned his further. "Goodness she was desperate for help, and yet wouldn't accept anyone but the best in the best, in other words, your team. She will find her somewhere on the second floor, as I directed her to the Guildmaster and I have yet to hear word from either." We thanked the smaller avian and headed up the stairs. It was impressive how much the structure of the building had changed, now going for a much more modern aesthetic, and of course the fusion between the law enforcement section of the police and the explorers from the guild benefitted everyone involved. Space had been the only limiting factor, and that had been easily solved by rebuilding the back to house larger rooms for the permanent members to live in. I won't go into much detail as to how these rooms were arranged, as it is of no importance to the story, and instead jump to what took place at the guild master's new room.

The first thing that caught my attention weren't the maps that covered the room from wall to wall, or the great painting of all the guild members with the exclusion of those in Team Star and the high bookcases on either side brimming with boxes, artifacts, trophies, relics and other objects procured from former missions and achievements, but the frail looking ice type floating near the front of Wigglytuff's desk. My observant nature, of course, betrayed me, as I couldn't help but notice some minor details of the room, but my eyes were locked on that small, gentle frame, those trembling, helpless eyes that stared deep into mine as they met, a gaze that I would not forget, even to this very day.

I was so enthralled with her figure that I did not participate in the greetings offered by both Serge and Wigglytuff, and only returned to reality when I was directly spoken to. "What?"

"Dude, what's up with you today?" Serge inquired in a low voice whilst Wigglytuff laughed and repeated his sentence.

"As I said, I am glad to see you two here, for you see… Miss Jiho has quite a particular request for your team."

Jiho. Jiho. Jiho. An exotic name, just like the red and yellow kimono she wore, hiding her natural body underneath. You may laugh now, roll your eyes and chuckle, but at the time I had only read and heard about these emotions in books and from my colleagues, and should also take into account the shock factor of stepping into a room and bearing witness to such a beauty. But I digress. Once formalities were out of the way, Jiho approached us, and with a calculated and gentle bow she presented her plea.

"Oh, please, you must help me… I hail from the continent to the north, Unova, and something horrible has happened! My mistress, the fairest lady, Miss Varsha, has received a most heinous threat from an unknown hitman!"

"Woah woah woah… Varsha? As in, **the** Varsha that's been providing all the shops in Johto and Kanto with silk for clothing?" Serge was truly shocked to hear about this, and while I unfortunately wasn't well versed with the more recent events, I too had heard of this "Varsha" and the new and strange fashion sense that had completely taken over the old continent.

"That's right." Wigglytuff took this brief silence to explain. "Even though it hasn't reached Sinnoh, and I doubt it will to be honest, the newest in fashion involves dressing in clothes like humans did long before us. Varsha Koltura is one of the biggest manufacturer and seller of silk and other clothing articles in the world, so I too was skeptical when miss Jiho appeared in her stead to request the help of your team."

"Oh but there is no one in the whole wide world who can help my fair lady at this moment in time! The situation is truly dreadful and I fear for her, so I decided to look for the help of the prestigious Team Star in my time of desperate need!" Something about the words she said, and how she said them… even in my state of drunken admiration I could perceive there was more to her premade speech than she let on, and I would like to think Serge caught on again, as I spotted that whimsical smirk of his.

"Well damn, it's about time the **real** Team Star got the recognition it deserves!" No doubt in my mind that he had noticed something strange too: with all the impostors out there, and the fact that it was nigh impossible for her to have met Eric and Elly before us, the question of how she'd managed to pinpoint our location was one I'd save up for later. His sarcasm flew over their heads however, as they had only just met the avian.

"True! Your accomplishments deserve more celebration than this… but regardless, please you must help me. Bring me to your leaders, and I will explain the case in full detail." Her request was sincere, and even if she seemed to have an ulterior motive it was clearly not directed towards ourselves. In the end, we thanked the Guildmaster and headed back home with her. Unfortunately, not every member of the team was present, as Nox, Lucy and Zed had left two days ago for a mission which had unfortunately been complicated further due to a mistake on the Shinx's part, and they wouldn't be back for a few more days at best.

Still, Eric and Elly were present, sitting in the living room and reading when we arrived, and they greeted their guest with all the hospitality they could offer her, bringing her beverage and food whilst she made herself comfortable and began her tale. I of course, sat next to her on the couch, though kept my distance so as to not raise any suspicions. She explained the circumstances surrounding her lady's business and the optimistic prospects that lay ahead for the trade, but that had all been torn apart by the sudden death threat.

"It was horrible… here, I brought it with me." She pulled out a folded up piece of paper from between the folds of her kimono, where no doubt a pocket was hidden. Elly grabbed the letter with her powers, unfolded it and read so:

" _To the 'fairest lady', Miss Varsha Koltura:_

 _The exploitation of the poor pokémon under your rule is to come to an end soon. All the lives you have sacrificed for your own selfish desires and monetary gains have now become a heavy burden on this world and its inhabitants, and I shall see it through that you're paid in full for your transgressions. Like a weed I shall pluck you from the soil you corrupt and spread the dirt you once dared call your property, liberating those tangled in your thorny roots._

 _May you never have a peaceful rest._ "

"And to make matters worse, someone leaked this information and now rumors have started spreading about how she mistreats her employees, which is nothing but a bold faced lie!" Eric and Elly were looking at the letter and at Jiho with grave expressions, which leads me to believe that this was in fact, a very real and serious threat. Serge, on the other hand, did what he thought best.

"Are you sure about that?"

Immediately, she fell to his provocation and sprung from her seat. "How dare you speak of her like that! You don't know her like I do! None of you do! She's the one who has given me my life, my reason to live, and I refuse to hear anyone judge her so unfairly and call her a criminal! I won't stand for it!" Her shouts were probably heard by our neighbours, but they were enough to dissuade Serge, who laid back on his chair, harrumphed and closed his eyes.

"Well… it isn't in our jurisdiction to determine that. What we must do, however, is save Miss Varsha from his assassin. This death threat seems very serious. Was there something else?

She thought about it… and gasped as a certain detail sprung to mind. "Oh yes, there were three rose petals wrapped up in the envelope!" Her words made Serge go pale with realization, and even if he quickly recovered from the shock I had taken notice of his reaction, and he knew it.

"When was it delivered?" Eric quickly asked in order to defuse the situation.

"Three days ago. I departed as soon as we received it."

"Was our Team truly your first option?" I spoke without thinking, and I quite probably surprised the others, as it wasn't normal for me to so suddenly interrupt a conversation, but something inside me wanted to know.

"Of course. News about your heroic actions have spread across the world. Knowing what you have done, I was sure that you were the only ones who could make sure Miss Koltura survived this encounter." And that, she went down to the floor and kneeled. "Please, help her! I'm begging you!"

It felt… like both a comforting hug wrapped me in a coat of warmth and a cold knife buried itself in my side. At first, her dedication towards her mistress confirmed my thoughts that she was a kind spirit, one perhaps too innocent and good for this world, and a burning desire to protect her sparked within me… and yet, it served as a sharp reminder of my darkest age: when I was but a mindless, insignificant servant. And it truly made me wonder: what was this Varsha character truly like?

This plead didn't go unnoticed by Eric and Elly, and so they accepted her request to her utter joy, but before she could speak of arrangements for the next ship to Unova, they interrupted her. "But unfortunately, we will not be able to go there." Elly explained. "While we want to help you as much as we can, there are others that need our help daily as well. Three of our friends left for an important mission not too long ago and it will be long before they return. Should another important request arise and we weren't here…"

She was shocked at first, but she gave them an understanding look, albeit she looked completely demolished. Her eyes dropped to the floor, knowing that Varsha had no hope of survival without Eric and Elly there…

"I will go." I suddenly stood up, and called upon myself four pairs of eyes that stared in shock and bewilderment.

"Wait… really?!" Serge was the most surprised out of anyone, probably because he and I knew there was something she wasn't telling us. But that was exactly the point: something inside of me wanted to know. To know what she was keeping from me. What she was hiding. I wanted… I wanted to know her.

"Yes."

"Jake… you do realize that this is a very important mission with a lot of risks involved…" Elly was fairly confused as well, unsure of why I was making such hasty decisions, which was so very unlike me.

"She is in dire need of help, and I cannot sit idly and watch her writhe in despair at the situation. It is a dangerous mission, but if I do things correctly there will be no need for a larger confrontation. I will expose this assassin, and I will keep Miss Koltura from harm's way!" I must've been terribly passionate, because Jiho turned to me with a smile and started crying, thanking me for my selfless offer. The others didn't have anything else to say, or rather did not want to: Only Arceus knew what was wrong with me that morning, and even as Jiho left to make the plans for the ship to depart early morning of the next day, they asked if I felt alright or if there was something wrong.

"I… don't know. I just… felt I had to help her." I evaded all their questions as best I could, for I didn't have an answer: it couldn't be love, it was far too early for that. I was interested, this was much was true, but… something else had caught my attention in that Froslass… and I wanted to know what it was. She wouldn't leave my thoughts, even as I packed my essentials and went to bed early to get more than enough rest. It was utterly useless however, as I was too nervous, and many things were occupying my attention, the most notable of which was Serge's sudden disappearance after Jiho left, excusing himself by saying that "he needed to check something".

Either way, the sun rose and I clambered out of bed much earlier than Eric and Elly did. I woke them up and they wished me goodbye and a safe trip and mission, reminding me to call them through the crystal when I got to Unova. I didn't find Serge in his room in the attic that morning either, and I guessed he must've spent the night with some female.

I was wrong.

As I approached the docks, wrapped in a thick mist courtesy of the cool temperatures normal to the time of the year, but I did spot a familiar shape running through the fog towards me, calling my name.

"Hey Jake! Wait up!" Serge caught up and stopped me as I stepped onto the pier, the ship barely visible.

"Serge. What an unexpected surprise! Come to say goodbye in spite of leaving your cohorts alone for the rest of the morning?"

"What?" He was certainly shocked, which let me know I had made an error in my assumptions, but he didn't chastise me for it. "No no no, I wasn't doing that last night. I was literally checking something."

"Ah. Well, my apologies. What is it you wish to tell me?"

"It's about that…" He was gasping for air from the early exercise. "Hoo, hold on lemme catch my breath… Alright, it was about that letter. There were two things that surprised me about it, one of them being the whole Varsha exploiting her workers thing."

"Well? What is it that you found? Out with it!"

"Geez! Don't worry I won't keep you from your new girlfriend for long…" His joke clearly had an effect, because I must've blushed in order to trigger his smirk. "Anyways, I didn't find out much other than rumors, but if they're true… she's in some murky business man. Mafia levels." I made a mental note of that, but…

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Hold on I'm getting there… so you know those petals they found with the letter? The ones that made me go pale? Well… It was just this crazy thought I had, but I needed to check… and holy shit, you might be biting on more than you can chew here, Jake." I did not like the sound of that.

"Explain."

"Ever heard of Indomatia?" I shook my head. "No? Well… I'll fill you in: Indomatia's a hired assassin. Nobody knows who or what they are, but they popped up not long ago and have made a name for themselves in the criminal underworld. If you want a hitman, look no further, because they're the best of the best. Indomatia is a clever and methodical beast, one the ETF has been chasing for ages now, but they haven't gotten a single lead, except for this: their victims got a calling card when they were threatened, and guess what it was."

"...Three rose petals." I finished.

"Bingo. But there's more: their targets usually last one or two days more alive, but I've never heard of someone being alive for more than three days. Moreover, this all means that someone else has hired Indomatia to kill Varsha, and that someone's probably the pokémon who got all the dirt on her shady business practices…"

"Which means it's someone close to her, be it a competitor or an inside pokémon. And to top it all off, she was heading to an important reunion between her providers and some other big shots of the textile business as she received the card, as Jiho explained…"

"This whole thing reeks of bad trouble Jake. Are you still sure you want to…"

"Oh! Mister Jake!" We were suddenly cut off by Jiho's arrival, having snuck up on us with the aid of the fog around us. "And Mister Serge too, what a pleasant surprise! Will you come with us too?"

"Oh… well, no I can't, I was just saying goodbye to Jake here and relaying him a message from… a couple friends here in Treasure Town, about some building plans and stuff. He was one of the main driving forces in rebuilding this town after the Rebscura attack, you know?"

"Really?" The Froslass turned to me and gave me a sincere smile of appreciation. "My my! On the outside he seems quite cold, but Mister Jake seems to have a heart of gold!" Her observations caught me off guard, and earned some protests from myself, which were quickly dismissed with laughter… but something about her words and praise struck me: she wasn't being sarcastic or wanted something out of me… she was being honest and sincere.

"Oh… yes, indeed… It is the least an upstanding citizen can do for the rest of his village… and as for the message itself…" I looked at Serge. "Tell them that they can manage just fine without me, the plans are there and have been simplified immensely. Should they make a mistake it is their own fault."

Serge took this as a response to his other question, closed his eyes and smiled. "Well, to be honest such a 'genius' like yourself has a very strange understanding of the word 'simple', but… I'll them just that." He rubbed the back of his head and smiled. Jiho urged me to join her on the ship, and I grabbed my bags and followed her onboard. The crew waiting for us there was composed of simply a seasoned Tentacruel captain and a Tentacool deckhand, who grabbed my bags and carried them underneath the hull in utter silence, and I hadn't asked for him to do so.

"Whelp… Guess you're gonna be having quite the adventure now! Make sure he doesn't get in trouble, got it?" Serge joked in front of Jiho, and confused her a great deal before shaking his head. "I'm kidding… seriously though, you got the best deal out of this whole thing. If there's anyone responsible enough on the team that can handle all of this it's Jake. So don't worry: That Vashra lady is in safe claws!"

"Varsha." Jiho replied with a serious face.

"What?"

"Her name's Varsha, not Vashra." They looked at each other in silence, and he chuckled again.

"Right right, my mistake… but I do mean it that she's in safe hands!" His compliment once again made me blush, and knowing Serge I did not know whether or not he was being sincere… but given the circumstances, I guessed he was, and this was his own particular way of wishing me good luck in this arduous quest. The Captain quietly communicated us that the ship was ready to depart, and Jiho turned to me with an excited smile.

"Well?"

I simply answered with a nod, and she bowed and showed me the way to the ship. I accepted her invitation and got on. Soon she followed me, and once we were both on board, the plank was lifted by the deckhand and the ship started moving as the anchor was lifted. The wind was thankfully… or rather, not so surprisingly on our side, spotting the glow on my friend's left wing as he waved us goodbye with his right wing. I didn't know what lay ahead… but I knew it would be rather difficult without their aid. Still, I would persevere… and remain successful, even in the face of adversity.

* * *

I take a long sip of water from the glass in front of me as I finish my slice of cake. "Why is it that sweets make us thirsty?" I inquired, and my former master replied with a chuckle.

"Glucose. Its absorption by the body is very quick, and it makes the water in our cells move to our blood vessels. In order to restore the balance, our brain requests we drink water…" He too takes a sip, and lets out a sigh. "A remarkable relationship… the brain commands our every move and action, and yet it responds to the body's needs… Masters and servants." His eyes narrow as he looks at me. "This is quite a compelling tale, far more entertaining than those from the books I am stuck with during most of the day… though I would wish to make two observations, one bad, and one good." I swallow and looked at him.

"The first, which would be the good one, is that what you described to me just now, the feelings you felt towards that Froslass, were those of love. I too, have experienced it, and while not as intensely and not in the same way, one would be foolish to not spot them. I won't delve any deeper, as I feel it has something to do with the rest of the story… but it brings me to my second point: you mentioned this woman was a slave, just like you had been." I close my eyes and breathe in: the moment I said that phrase I had noticed his stern gaze fixating on myself… but it wasn't directed towards myself.

"Have I really been that bad to you, Jake?" I don't answer. I don't know how to. I don't want to answer. "I gave you all that you needed: A home, an education, I cared for you cooly at first, but you became my protegee quickly. Have I done something to earn your despise that I haven't taken notice to?" The severity of his actions as "The Great Dusknoir" still weighed heavily on his soul, and I had been tactless to use such vocabulary in front of him.

"No, of course not, Dusknoir. It is just… You must agree that it was a dark age… for both of us." I quickly try to explain the meaning behind my words. My feelings are genuine… or so I want to think. "I do not hold any resentment towards you for what you did… I was born in a poor family, with barely anything to eat and sustain ourselves, and my own physical condition and weakness only made everything difficult for my kin. My bones are brittle, my muscles aren't as flexible… and yet my mind was sharper than the rest. It was a world where only brute strength could win… but I was a being that didn't rely on strength, but intelligence. My elaborate traps could've only earned me so much food after my exile before I would've starved or turned into a primal… hadn't it been for your intervention I would've most likely died." This much, is true: he had been my protector after he'd found me scavenging near the fortress. After I was captured and interrogated, I had been the only one to dare defy Dusknoir in a duel of wit… one he claims he lost. And so he took me in, to hone that intelligence and to… "correct" that impertinence.

He nods as we both reminisce all of this… and he too must've reminded the single moment when I became his servant, as he asks me the following. "Do you ever feel like those thoughts… the idea that you owe me something… have you ever thought that those ideas might not be truly yours… but instead something I've taught you to think?" A heavy silence lingers above our heads as the question echoes in my mind, and I am unable to answer it. After a few seconds, he waves his hand. "Continue."

* * *

I won't go into the nuances and details of the voyage from Sinnoh to Unova, though I would like to point out a few… oddities. Even though we were very few on that ship, there was little to no conversation between us, just what was necessary, and that included that exceptional female, with which I tried to start a conversation with many a time, only for it to be cut short by a lack of interesting topics or my own cowardice to dry and delve into more private subjects. I was scared that if I opened myself up from the get-go I ran the risk of scaring her, but if I didn't do anything, I could very well lose my only chance.

The other strange thing was Jiho's… unhealthy obsession with clothing. I had one meaningful conversation with her on that trip, on the last night, and from that point onward we began speaking of more interesting matters. But I will not forget that exchange… and how rather silly it was. For you see, the ship was rather small, and while the crew had one chamber, we had to share another. We had separate beds, of course, otherwise I would've offered to sleep elsewhere but with her like a gentleman, lest she asked me… which I doubted, but I did notice that when she did to bed… she never did so naked.

I don't mean it in an indecent way, but all species of pokémon have a way to hide away their indecencies until the… "appropriate" time arrives. Some use their fur, others scales or tails, and I believe Ghost types made theirs invisible… but even then I was confused as to why she would still dress herself to go to bed, specially when she was an ice type. And so, one night, I asked.

"Forgive me miss." I stopped her as we were slipping into bed. "I have noticed that, umm… Even in the dead of night, as we are to go to bed, you simply change clothes. Why is this so? Do you always wear clothes at all times?" For this she looked at me, confused, and then giggled. I had gotten used to that giggle now, as I had managed to make her laugh a number of times during our brief conversations. It seemed like my vocabulary and questions seemed to be a never ending source of amusement for her.

"Oh… right, well, it's more of a custom. I have been raised to wear clothes like this, like humans once did long ago, even if it is completely unnecessary… and I think it makes me look ravishing, and I do not have to worry about hiding anything if I have clothes covering it all already." I had to agree on the ravishing part, though in my innocent bliss I asked a rather… foolish question.

"Would that mean that under those clothes you have neglected to hide your indecencies?" There was a long silence between us, before she burst out laughing. I had heard her giggle, but not outright laugh… and Arceus, it was a marvelous sound. It wasn't sweet or dear, like all people say laughs are like. It was just a laugh, and it made me want to laugh alongside her's too… but I tried to suppress it, scared she might judge me for mine.

"Well, that is a very forward question for you to ask! If you must know, I personally still take some precautions… Oh, don't worry, I can understand your confusion: pokémon in other regions aren't subjected to this type of pressure trying to get one to wear clothes… I personally don't mind that you aren't wearing any for example, I don't you to be indecent." She stopped laughing when she said this and looked away. "On the other hand, I doubt my opinion matters much…"

"Why is that?"

"Oh, it's just that I do not really know much behind this topic, is all, I don't think I can formulate a strong enough opinion that supports or goes against this new fashion sense… but my mistress wears them and forces all her workers and servants to wear them too." I felt this was my chance to finally jump into a more private topic, and I grasped it like a burning nail.

"Speaking of her… what is she like? Since I am going to meet her soon, I would much prefer to know the type of pokémon she is."

"Oh she? She is very cultured and generous. She is intelligent, capable of making deals with many powerful pokémon, and she treats her servants and workers well… quite unlike what your friend said back at home." There was some contempt in her words, but I shook my head to dismiss her worries.

"Don't fret. He was just kidding, he is like that… and sometimes he can be quite an idiot, in my own personal opinion." She giggled once again. "I don't intend to judge her before I meet her, but I wanted to ask your opinion, as you seem to know her very well."

"Oh yes, I do. She has been my mentor for most of my life… See, I wasn't born in the best of situations, and was simply destined to be more helping hand with my family, which worked for her father at the time… but I wasn't the best of workers, always sick and not good at manual labour… and my family considered getting rid of me. And they did, as they couldn't bear to have another mouth to feed in their poor situation. But as luck would have it, he was at our village during that time, and his daughter and myself crossed paths. I was a young innocent child now without a home, and she was a rich pokémon now from a prestigious family."

"Once she saw me and asked where my family was, and I answered that they wouldn't let me back, I can only guess she pitied me and took me with her back home. I don't know what happened to my family after that, other than most of them died or went primal during the Time Freeze." She quickly said this last part, and there was a hint of regret in her words as she said this, almost as if she didn't know why she said it in the first place.

"My condolences. Losing family, no matter how horrible they were, can be devastating."

"Yes… I don't hate them for what they did, as they didn't have many more options… but after that I became a servant for my mistress. She treated me well, made sure I had food and I in turn served her as best as she could: I bathed her, cleaned her room, prepared her food, organized her contracts once she became head of the empire, wrote letters in her name… I did anything she told me to do, but in turn she kept me safe, she gave me a proper education… she even taught me how to read and would give me books to read: encyclopedias, history books…" The more and more she spoke, the more and more I realized why I had felt that terrible knife being buried into my body back when she'd gotten down on her knees to plead: she was a servant, just as I had been.

"But… do you not desire for something else?" She suddenly looked up at me, confused.

"What do you mean? I already have everything I would want to have." I bit my tongue, as I realized that she still didn't know… and I didn't feel courageous enough to confront her about this topic, especially so late at night.

"If that is the case, forget I ever said anything. My apologies. With all this in mind, it seems like Miss Varsha is a truly agreeable character. I cannot wait to meet her."

"Oh, I think you will be delighted with her, Mister Jake." The title of 'Mister' slipped through her lips and cut away at my skin like a pair of claws tearing through my body.

"Don't call me that." She was, once again, taken back by my words. "Mister. Don't call me that, there is no need to."

"But… my mistress says that I must refer to all other men like so."

"Well… I do not wish you to. I do not want to feel superior to you Jiho… so please, do not call me Mister." I could tell she was conflicted by this, having never encountered someone like myself… Alas, she accepted my terms, and after wishing eachother a good night's rest, we closed our eyes and slept. At least I am sure she did, but I had a bit more trouble, as I was looking at her, even in the darkness of our living quarters. The pale moonlight that came in through the window was enough to allow me to see her small body underneath those soft covers… I closed my eyes and tried to imagine it… what she would've looked like without those clothes.

As my thoughts drifted somewhere else more indecent however, I stopped, and my eyes opened wide. What was I doing? I was slowly but surely turning into Nox: a perverted, filthy pokémon… or was this all natural? What were these conflicting emotions spreading through my body? I felt rage for letting myself fall to these temptations and thoughts, but also because I couldn't fully express myself without having second thoughts. Each time my thoughts drifted to her anxiety built up, my stomach became a mild annoyance with strange sensations, and a type of warmth and heat that I had never felt overcame me… I could not bear it. I silently walked out of the room and took a walk around the ship as we peacefully sailed towards land. We would reach it by dawn, and the moon was still rising in the sky, meaning we had plenty of time left… and yet I felt as awake as one could be.

Something was terribly wrong with myself, and I had barely noticed it. I was acting irrationally. Why did I accept such an offer when I knew I could face off against a foe that could easily overwhelm me? I was weak, frail, I wouldn't be able to put up a fight should I come across this assassin. The waves kept hitting the ship, making it sway back and forth, back and forth… My stomach pains went from annoyance to nausea. What was I doing on that ship? I was confused… I felt a hint of fear too. I was… feeling something. And I didn't like it.

It all ended when I was forced to lean over the railings and regurgitated the entirety of that evening's dinner… I tried to compose myself, looking up at the starry sky as I focused on one thing only: the calm, cool headedness that had pushed me to that point. All my life I had been thinking rationally, evaluating my actions and my every step so that I would never make a single fatal mistake like the one I had unfortunately done… But I could still fix it all. If I could but focus on the task at hand, and push away my feelings for the Froslass, then perhaps I would come out victorious from his endeavour.

I returned to my bed and slept well for the rest of the night. At dawn I was already up and awake, and returned Jiho's greetings once she did so. I tried to hold myself back, though still tried to maintain a normal conversation with her… I failed on one end, and soon we were freely talking about the change of scenery between Unova and Sinnoh. Treasure Town was an expanding coastal village, now trying to become a trading centre for the region, which meant that soon enough that feeling of a small community would be lost… and yet it would still not come close to Unova's most impressive coastal city: Pontavicel.

It was a sight to behold, and my little escapade the night prior didn't do it justice: the city spread far into the main land, green, lush fields contrasting with the beautifully tiled roads with rocks, similar to those back in Treasure Town. But one could feel the difference once they stepped down and looked around. The air smelled different, the buildings had unique distinctive shapes, some oval, some more rectangular, with the rooftops either triangular, elliptic or plain. Most of the commerce was right there the moment one stepped down from the ship and onto the road, pokémon going left and right at the same time, rows and mobs building up in front of stands that sold various products, like food, pots, silverware, clocks and other carefully crafted works of art made by artisans.

Unfortunately, we did not have the time to take in the beauty of the city, and Jiho lead me directly up the main road without saying so much as goodbye or thanks to the two mariners that had taken us there. We were forced to stick together and hold hands in order to not get lost in the never ending flow of people, and for once I wondered if this was what Zed felt when he mentioned how anxious being surrounded by pokémon made him. It was short lived thankfully, as she led me to a humble carriage located in front of an inn. We only had to walk near the entrance, as the door swung open and to my surprise, Jiho recognized the pokémon that came out.

"Oh, Fabio, sir! What a coincidence!" The Hitmonlee looked down at us and greeted Jiho with a bow.

"Oh, Jiho! I did not expect to find you here this early! And who might this be?" He asked this as he looked at him, and I promptly introduced myself. "Oh, the Jake from Team Star?!" He crouched down to grab my hand and shook it vigorously, so much in fact I feared he might've pulled my arm off. "Oh it is truly a pleasure sir! Truly a pleasure!"

Once he let go I made sure to check if my arm was still in place, and once I was sure I returned the affection. "Yes, it is pleasure as well to meet a friendly face in such a packed city…"

"Aaaah, but that is the wonder of Pontavicel sir! The amount of pokémon here makes for a wonderful breeding ground for business! It is the second largest city of commerce in the world after all, and a large part of our mistress' fortune has been invested here! Did you not perhaps notice the many stands and shops that sell our products?"

I had, and I was surprised by the amount of products they were selling to begin with: Just how many of those garments did they produce daily to be able to supply so many customers? Serge's words echoed in my head as I began to understand the root behind those rumours. Still, I only faked marvel at this fact, which pleased both of my companions, and the fighting type quickly turned to the carriage. He knocked on the door. "Mistress! Jiho has returned!"

"Oh, she has? Splendid then, let her in! And her companion too!" The door to the inside of the carriage slowly opened. It was quite dark inside, and I couldn't see clearly, but the pokémon inside appeared as she opened the door: a Leavanny with regal clothes was inside: a long purple cape with yellow stripes on each side that covered her body, and underneath wearing a beautiful white dress. She invited both of us inside, and Jiho took her place next to her mistress, kissing her hand as I stepped in right after. I bowed and did the same, but the Leavanny quickly retreated. "No, by all intents and purposes, you're my guest, Mister Jake, and I shall see to it that you're treated like a king while you are here."

I exchanged a glance and a smile with Jiho, the first impressions of her mistress surely being those she'd told me about. "It is an honor to meet you, Miss Varsha."

"Please, the pleasure is all mine, Sir Jake."

"How is it that you know my name? Have our accomplishments as Team Star reached this far?"

"Of course, and further beyond too. I find it a criminal offense that you aren't properly rewarded wherever you go… but alas that is the world we live in. Cruel and unforgiving, specially to the weak." I rose an eyebrow, unsure of what she had meant with that last point. She turned to face Jiho. "I suppose you have already gotten acquainted with my protegee then?" I nodded. "And our dire situation?"

"Yes, it was the first thing I learned of."

"Then… why is it that only you have come to my aid?" The first question she asked me had to be that one… it only confirmed my suspicions. If she was going to be blunt and forward… then so would I.

"Perhaps it was because it was presumed I would be acting as a bodyguard for a period of time until this threat was resolved… but I'm afraid that isn't the case, is it Miss Varsha?" My tone of voice surprise Jiho, and Varsha only sat upright and cross her arms and legs.

"Oh? How so?"

"Well… I shall begin with the circumstances that have lead to this point: Team Star had been in inactivity for a whole year after the destruction of Team Uncario due to personal reasons, plus another year because of an unexpected incident. While that happened, hundreds of copycats for Team Star surfaced all over the world to try and claim our fame, and thus eventually our reputation slowly slipped away: we weren't there to defend our title, after all. Therefore, it is impossible for our achievements to have reached this far. This world is cruel, indeed. What this means that just now you were most certainly manipulating the truth, but there's also the fact that Jiho came to us for the same reason, which leads me to believe one thing: Team Star wasn't your last resort, it was your first and only option for what you have in mind."

She smiled. "Good, good… but there's more, right?"

"Indeed… Let's talk about the oddities in your request: you require a bodyguard, someone who can keep you safe from none other than the famed assassin Indomatia, who is known to have been a target of interest of the ETF for a long time now… so instead of coming to the ETF for help, you have instead requested our assistance. Had you wanted a full body of bodyguards you could've had it… but you wanted something else. You wanted something extraordinary, that Indomatia hasn't faced ever before. And finally, the calm in your statements: three days it took for you to request for help, but Indomatia's targets have been known to be attacked and killed less than two days after receiving their calling card. This means that Indomatia has already struck… and they failed."

"And what leads you to believe that, my good sir?"

"Your precautions: you didn't meet with me in a secluded area where we could raise suspicions, but instead inside a humble carriage in the middle of the street. It's so overt it's covert. Your driver doesn't have any fancy clothes either, and Jiho pointed out you enforced that sense of fashion on all your workers… Ergo, you know of Indomatia's intentions, but you have been playing with this to your favour for a long time."

"Two weeks, to be precise. It was two weeks ago when I first received the death threat from Indomatia."

"And so the initial shock factor has disappeared." I concluded, now having unwoven that complicated mess of lies. "You have been stalling for a long time now, miss Varsha… what is it that you **truly** want from me?"

They both remained silent, their eyes glued to mine. Jiho's were wide open in shock and slight admiration, whilst the high class pokémon was giving me an amused look… eventually, she started laughing and clapped. "Well done, Mister Jake! You truly made the right call by hiring him, Jiho dear…" I felt the cloud of mystery between us being lifted, or at least part of it: I hadn't mentioned the rumors of her over exploiting her employees for good reason, lest I be kicked out of the carriage unceremoniously.

"You mean this was all a test?"

"Why, yes, dear, it was all a test! Of course, getting you here was simple enough, and Jiho wasn't in on this… plan, but I am so very happy to see you have been able to piece it all together on your own: yes, Jake sir, I intended to hire Team Star from the very beginning. I waited and stalled Indomatia's attacks as much as I could to try and dissuade them… but alas it seems my warnings have fallen on deaf ears." The word 'warnings' made me worry. "And you're correct when you said that I do not want a bodyguard Mister Jake, because I don't want someone to protect me. In fact, it's the opposite…"

"I want someone to kill Indomatia."

* * *

"What an insane woman." Dusknoir places his fork next to his plate. "Devilishly clever, yes, but foolish enough to play a game like that with an assassin… she must've had a death wish."

"Or rather, she had something she'd rather not want anyone to know." My words make him raise an eyebrow. "When I solved one mystery, another one appeared: why? Why wait for so long? Then it struck me: the idea that someone had leaked the story to the journalists shortly after the threat had been made was now null and void. Two whole weeks had passed since then, so it was obvious that Indomatia had been taking a different strategy: to destroy her empire from the inside with these rumours… but even rumours such as those must've had some basis."

* * *

To kill an assassin… that was my goal. The anxiety that had taken hold of my body the night before had now returned, now doubled in intensity, but I managed to suppress any feeling of nausea. Varsha's one was rather simple, but the reasoning behind it was sound and convoluted: she couldn't accept such information getting out, since letting it be known that an assassin had made her next objective would have surely put a lot of interest on herself, and instead had opted to let those rumors spread to let any other implications slide off. It was all a strategy to draw out the true culprit.

"Indomatia's just a tool, a hired gun… but someone else is behind this, someone else wants to see me dead so they can take over the market… the question is, who is that pokémon?"

"Are there any pokémon who would rather see you face your demise, miss Varsha?"

"Unfortunately… Plenty. My success does spark jealousy, you see…" Once again, that intoxicating pride reared its ugly head, and Jiho was seemingly unaware of it. "Though I think very few of them would be capable of murder. Luckily, the list of these candidates isn't too long… and even more fortunate is the fact we shall be seeing them relatively soon."

"Excuse me?" This was new information I hadn't received.

"Yes. The other reason I waited two whole weeks for this was so I could arrange a meeting between my biggest competitors. I called it a formality, to keep it clean… but I know that among them, one of them will be carrying a knife in the form of that hired assassin. It'll be the perfect time to strike against my life too, since there will be so many pokémon there, it'll be hard to determine who is who, what with everyone bringing their own servants and slaves there…" Once again, her choice of words was not helping my impressions of her.

"So you plan on using yourself as bait? That is…"

"Madness? Yes… But I am not about to let the empire my family has been building up for so long be toppled by a pathetic assassin like them. I am far better than that scum, killing and ending lives of those who have succeeded and made it in life just to survive… Sacrificing lives for one's personal gains is despicable in every sense of the word." Given the contents of the letter… I had my suspicions on whether or not Miss Varsha was being a hypocrite.

"And I guess you want me to find Indomatia and expose them there?"

"Indeed… once you do that, they will have no choice but to sell their contractor out in order for their lives to be spared."

"And if they don't try to bargain and accept death?"

"Then so be it. One less problem in the world." I was starting to dislike her character… and yet none of what she was saying was a lie: individuals such as Indomatia were truly the scum of the planet. "Now then, I know this is rather sudden, and I did expect some more pokémon… but now you understand why I had to handle this matter with the utmost discretion: Indomatia has eyes and ears scattered all over, or so they say. Luckily, you are more than capable for this: after all, you alone managed to untangle all my mysteries in one fell swoop."

"You surely exaggerate, though your praise is appreciated." I responded to her questions and praise to my person whenever she did, but I was more interested on what Jiho had to say, who had fallen slightly silent at the presence of her mistress. It was then when I decided to question Varsha herself of her relationship with Jiho.

"Oh, sweet Jiho? She is my most valuable friend in this world. She has served me for almost my entire life, and I have cared for her as much as I could." This time, her choice of words was far more appropriate this time, however… the way she referred to Jiho as "caring for her" and the fact that not once had she turned to face her… I was skeptical, for she said one thing, but did the complete opposite. There was little to no conversation between me and that dear ice type, for Varsha had established herself and become the most important pokémon in that carriage. We'd begun moving shortly after I entered, and I believe an hour passed before we came to a halt.

"Sir Jake and Miss Varsha, we have arrived at the state!" Fabio's voice called us from outside, and the door that lead out was opened by the Hitmonlee himself, who helped his mistress climb down. I glanced at Jiho, who smiled and showed me the way to the door with the hands. I got down as well, the sudden change of lighting blinding me momentarily. Once my eyes got adjusted to the sun's light, I could start making out the shapes and forms before me: Immediately in front of us spread extensive fields of cotton plants, being tended by various pokémon of different types and sizes, surrounding a dirt path with servants walking back and forth with carriages and buckets. At the end of said path, an impressive manor stood against the morning sun, shining just above the roof of the white luxurious building.

There was no doubt in mind: this wasn't a mansion of any kind. This was a plantation. I closed my eyes and had to calm down and turned around to take my mind off of what I was looking at. I walked over to the carriage as Jiho climbed out and held out my hand. She was surprised to see me do so, and to be honest, I would have done so even if I did not have feelings for her… but nonetheless I was ecstatic when she accepted my hand and floated down the steps. She smiled and bowed in sign of gratitude, and floated near her mistress, who was busy talking with Fabio. Those two seemed to be his most precious servants… as not a single pokémon in those fields had dared approach us ever since we had arrived.

As I did not have any business in that conversation, I instead scouted the surrounding area with my eyes. The state was located along a winding road that eventually disappeared into the horizon. There were some trees scattered across the fields, but otherwise only grassy hills could be seen. The state was, as was colloquially said, in the middle of nowhere. The only other thing that caught my attention were the Zebstrikas that had carried us there and had been pulling the carriage. They seemed to be exhausted, and it was understandable, as it seemed quite heavy, but what interested me were the strange marks all over their flanks. Imperceptible at first, but… they were eerily similar to scars once I could focus on their shapes and placement. I didn't have much time to focus on these small details however, as Fabio came up to me and with a smile informed me that Miss Varsha wanted to show me around the state.

I didn't show much resistance, lest I raised suspicions, and Fabio got on the carriage and ordered the electric types to take it away. As they went out of earshot I turned around and approached the two girls, who showed me the surroundings and the pokémon working there. Or rather, Varsha was the only one doing so, as she seemed to be very proud of the productivity of her "workers". Her words had taken on a completely different meaning after we had reached the state, but I didn't say or do anything peculiar, aside from shooting Jiho a few glances every so often, and mainly since I was unable to take my eyes off of her.

We reached the porch and entered the manor. The interior was far more luxurious looking than the exterior, a long dark blue carpet with golden patterns covering the floor, leading to an ample dining room, a library to the left, and a set of steps that took one to the higher floor, where I was told my room was located. For the time being however, there were servants cleaning it still, a Doduo with an apron walking by carrying buckets of water and towels, not even daring to look at my eyes.

"This is the crown jewel of my empire: The Koltura Manor, built by my great-grandfather almost two hundred years ago." As she spoke she lead me into the manor's library, a vast open area with a round red carpet in the centre, sofas and armchairs placed in a sophisticated way in front of the burning fireplace, something which would've brought me great discomfort if it hadn't been for the copious amounts of books and knowledge amassed there. A collection that put Slew's to shame, and that in it of itself, was an astonishing feat. A painting for a Ludicolo wearing a black suit and a top hat staring at the new guest that had just arrived at the manor he'd built hundreds of years ago with his very own hands… if Varsha's story was to be trusted, of course.

A revolting door lead one to the area reserved exclusively for servants, which comprised of a few hallways, a restroom and a kitchen that would've made Zed's eyes tear up: big and grandiose, with every tile decorated with a different intricate pattern of lines and circles which altogether made for a mosaic that I would've been forced to stare at for hours on end simply to grasp it entirely. Finally, another set of doors took one back to the dining room as the bottom floor looped around like so, with the exception of a few additional doors besides the steps.

"Where may those lead?" I promptly asked.

"Oh! One of them leads to yet another bathroom, and the door just underneath the steps leads to the basement. Only antiquities are stored there, nothing of importance…" She simply shrugged off the fact that hundreds of years of history and fortune lay underneath the floor we now stood on… which only put into perspective her vanity. The amount of richest she must've exchanged for the hard work of her slaves must have been quite generous. By now, my prejudices had taken hold of me, as everything around me pointed to only one possible answer: the lady standing besides me was but a baroness with a troupé of slaves working their lives away for her own benefit.

Before I had more time to reflect and think on my opinions of the woman, she promptly led me up the stairs. A long hallway waited for me there, to the left two doors kept Varsha's own personal room locked away from the rest of the world, and to the right of this door was Jiho's own room. To the right one could see three more doors: one that was wide open, and one could see dozens of beds scattered in a room comparable to the size of the kitchen underneath, and I guessed these were the living quarters of the house's servants. In front of it, another bathroom, this one much more luxurious than the other two, and the final door was none other than my room.

"You will find that your belongings have already been carried inside and are waiting for you to unpack. I must leave you now, my wonderful friend, for I must attend to some pressing matters." Varsha turned around and with an elegant pace she walked off, her cape trailing behind her. "Come now, Jiho!"

"Yes, my lady!" She turned around to leave… but I stopped her with a hand.

"Jiho… Varhsa…"

"Please…" She cut me off immediately, and I could see something in her eyes that pulled at my heart: sadness. "She is waiting for me. I mustn't keep her." I didn't know what to believe: her words or her eyes. I let her go and she turned around immediately and walked down the steps in a hurry to join her mistress. I sighed, utterly defeated, and turned around to open my door.

"What am I doing?" I asked myself as I entered and closed my room. There was nothing noticeable in my room: it was just as overloaded with colors and expensive furniture as the rest of the house was. Even my sheets were lined with real strands of gold, which only accentuated my distaste for the woman: what greed, what need to show off her affluence… I must've forgotten to mention the piano located down in the library as well, haven't I? It was almost sickening, too beautiful, too perfect… Too calculated. It was like a cake that proved to be too sweet to the taste and the sugar overwhelmed the senses, turning from a pleasure into a poison that corroded all the other flavours.

To take my mind off of things, I decided to unpack my modest sized bags, having only taken some books and other necessities. I pulled out my crystal from the bags and sat on the bed, deciding this was the best time I would find to contact my friends back home. Needless to say, Elly was ecstatic to finally hear news from me, and soon everyone else joined in, including those that were still away on their mission. I found myself smiling for the first time since I'd gotten to that horrid mansion and met Varsha, and my friend's small talk helped make feel at ease and at home, even if we were separated by hundreds of kilometers.

After having a meaningless and yet refreshing conversation, I decided to turn to my readings, since I had no desire to leave my room and explore the rest of the house. I would not give that woman the pleasure of seeing me standing in awe of these superficial objects, for her heart truly was black with greed. But I digress. My reading lasted just long enough for the bell to ring thrice, and I guessed that it must be the sign that lunch was ready. I was correct, as I soon found Varsha sitting alone at the other end of the extremely long table, big enough to house all the guild members and Team Star together without the need of sacrificing space.

It felt as if she was hundreds of meters away from myself as I sat down at the other end of the table, as manners requested it… but soon I noticed the absence of a certain servant. "Where's Jiho?" I asked as she was taking a spoonful of her Pumpkin soup.

"Jiho? She is eating with the other servants… is there an issue?"

"Do you always eat alone?" I questioned her solitude, and she only answered with a chuckle.

"Of course… it is inappropriate for a mistress to eat with her servants… there is a clear distinction between them." I nearly choked on the water in my mouth as she said this. "However, just for you, I shall make an exception today…" She reached to grab a bell near her and rung it two times. Jiho appeared shortly after through the moving doors. "Jiho, please bring your plate and sit next to Sir Jake. He would like to see you eat with us today."

The young servant was no longer wearing that kimono, but rather an apron like those the other servants wore, and I was now sure that, whilst Jiho thought she was special, Varsha's actions once more said otherwise, and my hatred for the mistress only grew deeper. Still, I was happy to see she accepted the offer and came to the table with us, and interestingly enough, she opted to sit besides me, instead of her mistress. We were quiet throughout the entire thing however, and I only spoke to answer her questions, which were generic: Did I like my room, was the food good… senseless dribble she kept throwing to try and start a conversation, but I refrained from doing so, excusing myself by saying that the food was in fact delicious. It was average. Nowhere close to what Zed could prepare. Jiho stayed quiet as well, but she kept looking at me every so often whenever she thought I wouldn't notice, and each time our eyes met we would look down at our plates, pretending it had never happened.

When we were done and dessert was served, she cleared her throat. "Well… now that you've gotten comfortable, and I do sincerely hope you're enjoying your time here… it is time we move on to more important matters." She snapped her fingers and the servants cleared the table and left the room, and even Jiho was forced to leave by a stern look from her mistress, even when I tried to convince her to stay. "She shouldn't stay here to listen to what we're to discuss… lest she be put into danger."

Once the room was clear, she got up and opened the doors, showing me to the way to library, taking one more extra precaution and closing the doors behind me. Once we were isolated, she sat down in one of the armchairs, and pointed at the one opposite from her. I reluctantly sat down and waited for her to speak. "So… this would've been the moment when I explained my true intentions and plan to you… but since you have proven to be quite sharp intellectually and read my intentions, I shall jump straight to the point." She leaned forward and opened a book on the table, grabbing a paper and placing it between us.

"This is a list of the guests that shall be coming to the party tomorrow evening." I grabbed the paper and inspected it. It was a list of the names of some of the most influential pokémon in the region: politicians, nobility, barons and baronesses like Varsha… "Those that have been crossed out are unimportant to our cases, I have verified that they have no reasons to see me dead or that they haven't hired Indomatia… so only five names on that list remain." I paid close attention to these five pokémon, which I recognized almost immediately: Kaori Shimizu, Deandre Aetius, Brás Kailá, Ununga Ranj and Loviatar Mirèio.

"The first name is Kaori Shimizu… she's the head of the Shimizu clan, originally from Johto, and mostly in the services sector. I believe they are building new bath houses in Sinnoh as we speak. However, she won't be coming to the party. Instead, it shall be her daughter: Ayame Shimizu, and even then it is rumored that not even she will be attending… but that does not mean they might not be the ones who hired Indomatia. I suspect them because of their influence. Should they want to expand into Unova they would most likely have to cross paths with me… and I certainly wouldn't allow their kind here." I didn't quite understand at the time what she meant with 'their kind', but I didn't pay the Shimizu clan attention after that.

"The next two are two politicians from Cunabula who have been extremely unfavourable of the new fashion sense of the populace, and that in turn affects me a great deal… I am, after all, the one who is instigating pokémon to buy my articles. Should their policies succeed and manage to impose a ban on clothing… it would be extremely detrimental to my business. The fourth is a representative from Hoenn… And as you should know, you should never trust those that come from Hoenn. He's the one I'm most suspicious about." I took in all this information slowly, building the profiles of each of these pokémon and reading the information present on that paper.

"And the last name?"

"Loviatar… he's a fierce man, he. His reasons are far more… personal, rather than economical. You see… at one point, he and I were in a relationship… Please, there's no need for you to judge me so, I was young and impressionable back then, and didn't realize the foulness of that man. You see, he and I are both the owners of large states and workers, and so… a marriage between our families would've brought prosperity…"

"But you ended the relationship." I cut ahead of her, having already guessed the outcome and the reason.

"Yes, indeed I had to. He had an expensive taste, and was quite adamant in throwing away his poké in petty meaningless endeavours… I could not let such a man siphon my family's fortune for his own selfish desires, and so I burned my bridges with him."

"And you think that he might hold some kind of grudge towards you?"

"Precisely. But worry not, I'll be the one dealing with him personally when the time arises… you, on the other hand, will focus on the other four… and of course, make sure that no harm comes my way. It is obvious that Indomatia will attempt to strike during the party, so that way the confusion will be big enough for them to make their escape with little to no issues." She remained quiet for a few minutes while I memorized and studied the information before me. "You may use the library to study and meditate to your heart's content. Any questions?"

I breathed in and closed my eyes, leaning back in my armchair and then stared right at her. "There is but one question in my mind… How are you so sure that the contractor will be one of these pokémon?"

"Well… as I said they are the only pokémon that hold a grudge against me in any shape or fo-"

"Are you absolutely certain about that?" I inquired. "Are you sure it might not be someone… closer to you?"

She stopped her train of thought and looked at me. The hospitality in her eyes was now gone, and for a second I felt like I was taking a glimpse into her real character. "What are you implying, Jake?" The title before my name was now non-existent, and I knew that I had peaked her interest.

"Haven't you considered that one of your servants might have been the one to have hired Indomatia? As far as we know they could be an altruist assassin… who will respond to a slave's plea for freedom from the master." My words certainly pierced her, as she visibly shifted and frowned as I spoke. It was a double edged sword I was swinging, but it was the only way for me to know the truth: who had hired Indomatia and if she was abusive towards her servants.

However, she was smarter than I thought, and quickly regained her composure as she saw the interest in my eyes, raising her defenses as she identified the threat. "My my… you're throwing some strange accusations my way, Mister Jake…"

"By all means, I did not mean to insult you… I was merely asking."

"Is that so? We should discuss this topic at another time, if you're ok with it… but as for my servants being the client: no, I have already made sure of that." The way she delivered that last line made me shift uncomfortably in my chair.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked as she got up, and I knew she wouldn't answer my question directly, and I would never know the truth behind her abuses now that she'd learned of my intentions.

"Well… you're a genius, aren't you? Figure it out." And with that, she left the library and myself in silence.

* * *

"What a character indeed… It is the first time I've heard of someone outwitting you, my friend." I blush as he points this out.

"Indeed… it was a first for myself as well. Then again, the evidence was irrefutable, and I still stand that she was nothing but a heartless slave owner." As I say this Dusknoir's frown deepens.

"Is that so?" I raise an eyebrow at his inquiry. "By all means, I never interacted with her in person, and I obviously haven't heard the rest of your tale… but I must point out Jake, that at one point you have been blinded by your prejudices."

"What do you mean?" I lean forward, intrigued by what my former master is saying.

"Think of it this way… perhaps the evidence you gathered against her were clear signs of abuse and her prideful nature… but did you ever interrogate the servants themselves?"

"I did. And they all mentioned their mistress' kindness. That was all They were too scared to speak the truth."

"Or perhaps they couldn't quite comprehend the truth, Jake. Think of it this way: if they have been living their lives serving that woman, how would they know what freedom is? How would they know that the beatings and the punishments were excessive and unnecessary, and that something better was an option for them?"

I frown. "It's still inexcusable…"

"Perhaps, from your point of view that is… as far as I know, Unova is one of the regions that was most affected by the Time Freeze… most of those that survived turned primal, and the first few months after time resumed thousands of cases regarding murder, cannibalism and arson were sent to the ETF from Unova. If what you're saying about Miss Varsha's wealth and estate are true, then wouldn't that mean that a large portion of her workers would've been affected by this? Pokémon that have been taken over by their primal instincts and then reformed into society are known to experience sudden… outbursts. And one of the best ways to tame these beasts in some regions of the world has been through physical punishment." Dusknoir's words rain on my head and flood it with doubt: while just a theory, it would explain the marks and quiet demeanour of the servants.

"Still, it is an abominable thing to do… and one that I too used during my darkest ages, if you remember correctly." I nod, closing my eyes as my mind drifts back to those public beatings and executions that he himself had carried out during the darkest age of our recent history. "While I am not defending her in any way, perhaps there was more to this Leavanny."

"Even so… this next part of the story will surely convince you of how black and putrid her heart was." I say, sure of myself, and yet Dusknoir smiles, the radiance of his smile allowing me to see the cracks in my theory and thoughts.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by, as I had a lot of work to do: the information she'd gathered on her suspects was quite generous, and she was truthful when she said they all had reasons to see her gone from that world, though I felt the Shimizu clan being included in that list was too much of a stretch, especially after I read what little information was known about Kaori Shimizu and her mysterious daughter. I sincerely hoped they would not appear the next night, lest things could get… violent. The Cunabula politicians seemed extremely radical in their ideas of a society where pokémon weren't forced to wear clothes, and to return everything to its previous state, and so I was quite suspicious of them: fanaticism is always a dangerous thing.

The last two suspects, Ununga and Loviatar, were equally suspicious. Ununga, while being an ambassador from Hoenn and seemingly unrelated to any of this, had little to no political background, and seemed to be an odd fit among the aristocracy I would be meeting in less than twenty four hours, and even though I do not want to admit it… The Hoenn region was home to some of the most politically unstable areas in the known world, to the point where some still permitted slavery. Not that it was any different in that plantation I was currently staying in. And finally, given the personality of my graceful host, there was no doubt in my mind Loviatar held some kind of grudge towards Varsha. Was it strong enough to warrant hiring an assassin? I wasn't sure.

My mind was exhausted: the only time I had gotten to relax had been that morning after speaking with my friends, and the sun had long since set. Dinner had been had, but I only requested for a simple sandwich to be taken to the library, so I wouldn't be forced to leave my studies. It had been the only chance I'd gotten to interact with any other pokémon that evening, and unfortunately, it wasn't Jiho. Her presence in that room would've probably eased the anxiety I was experiencing, but alas for some strange reason she didn't show up. My heart felt as if it was being strangled slowly, and I came to the conclusion that my feelings would never be responded by her… at least in the way I hoped…

I shook my head. What was I thinking? That wasn't my concern… I had to stay focused on my mission, I had to ensure that Varsha was kept alive. That was my goal. And that was the only thing I had to focus on. I couldn't let these… feelings, these emotions… couldn't take a hold of my body. Throughout history, time and time again, it has been shown that the biggest mistakes that have lead to great catastrophes were provoked by emotions. Great pokémon before me had fallen because their hearts had led them down a path of self destruction… but I wouldn't be such a pokémon. I would survive, and prosper at any cost.

I returned to my studies, more determined than ever, and managed to keep focused for a few more hours before exhaustion settled in. The ever present headache that indicated my brain was at its limit, and staying up any longer would not only not yield any results but also mean I'd be exhausted when morning came. I looked at the great clock by the wall, and made out the numbers written on it: quarter to twelve. In fifteen minutes it would strike midnight, so I decided to stop for the day and head to my room. As I walked up the steps however, I heard shouting coming from my left… From Varsha's room.

My curiosity got the best of me unfortunately, and I wearily approached the room, leaning my head on the ebony doors and paying close attention to what little I could hear… I recognized Varsha's viperine tongue, but I also heard quite whimpers from inside the room, which I recognized in a heartbeat: Varsha was shouting at poor Jiho. I could only catch a few words flying out of her vile mouth, but what I heard could only be interpreted as verbal abuse. My mind flew back to that very morning, when she had said Jiho was very special to her… my blood boiled in rage as I considered barging in to stop that madness… but instead, I decided to think… and came to a solution as I stared at the other end of the hallway and spotted a vase with flowers in it.

I hurried over and without hesitation grabbed the vase and smashed it on the ground, the sound of ceramic shattering and clattering echoing in the entire manor, while I myself grabbed a part of the carpet and folded it, then positioned myself correctly. I had barely enough time as the double doors from Varsha's room opened, and the mistress, dressed in a long pink bathrobe burst into the hallway, anger in her eyes… before she recognized the scene before her. "Oh dear, Mister Jake!" Her anger seemingly disappeared and was replaced with apparent worry, and Jiho rushed out of the room too to come to my aid, some servants leaning out of their room to check what was happening. "What happened to you?"

I sat on the ground, holding my leg in slight pain and pointed at the rug. "It seems I tripped and accidentally knocked this vase down… I apologize, I didn't mean to…"

"No no no, it's quite alright, it was just an unfortunate accident… goodness, you wouldn't believe how many times this happens. Rugs are quite treacherous! Jiho, please, could you clean up this mess? We'll keep talking later, I must go to bed, I have an important meeting tomorrow." Jiho nodded and floated down the steps without saying a word. Once she was gone, Varsha shot one last glance at me: one that hid a subtle hint of adversity, and I answered by giving her a defiant glare. She smirked as she reached her doors and grabbed the handles. "Good night, Mister Jake."

"Sweet dreams, Miss Varsha." The doors slammed shut, and that was the last I saw of her for the rest of the night. Jiho came up with a mop and a wooden bucket minutes later, and I was already up on my feet and heading to my room… but I glanced back at poor Jiho as she started cleaning the mess I had made, and I saw it: her cheek was bright red. I once again had to hold back myself, and keep my cool, but I stared at her for far too long, and she noticed the look in my eyes, and I noticed the look in her eyes as well: she knew what I'd done.

"Good night, Jake." Was what she said with her voice, but in fear that her mistress would hear her, she mouthed something else after that.

" _Thank you."_

With that, I smiled and returned the formality before heading to my room and slipping into bed.

That night… I felt odd. My I could not stop thinking about what had just transpired before my very eyes, my body shaking in a mixture of excitement and slight anticipation: She had recognized my influence in saving her from a more severe beating, but Varsha was now convinced that I was onto her devious ways… no doubt she had more than enough reasons to get rid of me if she so wanted to. However, she couldn't prove anything, and that gave me a safety net that allowed me to drift into a peaceful slumber. Incidentally, I still remember the dream I had that night.

I was simply stuck inside a library, but the books there were not works of literature, no… they were people. The title of each book corresponded to a pokémon I knew in my life. I remember looking up and seeing several large tomes, one of them with your name on it, the others with those of the Team Star members… then there were several smaller books lined up on the shelves beside them. I remember standing up and going by them one by one, daring grab the one titled "Slew" and being presented with images of more books, the scent of ancient paper and the sensation of those pages being flipped, a feeling of exploration and discovery overcoming me…

I returned the book to its place and noticed a table with two books on it: Varsha and Jiho. I opened the first one… the pages were corroded and rotten, with holes and signs of chewing near the borders… a deplorable book that I immediately left on the table, so much so that I never bothered to read its contents… and then turned my attention to the beautiful books beside it, white like a pearl and shining, calling me. I carefully opened her and began exploring… her voice flooded my mind, overwhelming my senses in a wave of delight, bringing me the happiness that I didn't know I craved. My body trembled in ecstasy as the pages kept moving, my eyes darting as I kept going deeper and deeper, learning more and more… and wanting to know more. Hungry for knowledge… hungry to know her… to have her…

I woke up in a cold sweat the morning after, and washed myself repeatedly until every last trace of filth was gone from my body, and even then I could not look at Jiho without feeling ashamed until the initial shock disappeared. I revised and reviewed my notes, and crossed paths with Varsha briefly as I left the library. The exchange between us was cold and strictly formal, but I was satisfied with it. She left shortly after, though not before telling me I had a carriage at my disposal. To my surprise, she left Jiho behind, with the excuse that she should tend to me instead of her.

A few hours passed and the clock struck midday again when I finished reviewing my cases, and I had come across an important note: Ununga and Loviatar were staying at Pontavicel, which meant that I could personally go down to the city and gather information directly from the source… in a discrete way, of course. I grabbed my bag, some money and some papers to note down any interesting information.

As I headed outside however, I found Jiho cleaning the entrance and she stopped me. "Oh, Jake! Where are you going?" She was acting as if nothing had happened last night, and to my relief the marks from the slap were now gone. I informed her of my plans to visit the town and interrogate some suspects, and she wished me good luck… and went back to cleaning. I would be lying if I said I wasn't discouraged by this… but as I left and turned back to look at her, I noticed she was shooting me a pleading look… one I simply couldn't refuse. I didn't need to tell her what to do, only motioned to the carriage with my head and she gasped in excitement… and yet immediately that excitement disappeared.

"What is it?"

She didn't answer immediately, and I was forced to ask again before I obtained an answer. "I… my mistress didn't tell me I could leave the house…"

That was the last straw for me. "Well, she ordered you to serve me, right?" She nodded. "Well, I want you to come with me, you will be a great deal of help to me in order to find more clues, I am sure." She returned to her excited state and left to get her Kimono again, then quickly floated down and stayed behind me. I kept slowing down to try and let her walk alongside myself, but she would always try and remain behind me… Even as I offered to help her into the carriage, she would not accept my offer. She was acting in a very odd manner… but that I knew for sure once the trip began.

She stayed quiet during the carriage ride, not daring to say a word and simply looking out the window. Then again, I did not attempt to strike up a friendly conversation to pass the time, so in the end we were both equally at fault. Once we arrived at Pontavicel and we got down from the carriage however, I realized a fatal flaw.

"Drat… I don't know where to go now." I was so caught up in my excitement I'd forgotten everything else, yet another foolish mistake because of my uncontrollable emotions. I was acting irrationally… and it worried me. Jiho found this amusing, and said we could simply ask around the commercial district to point us in the right direction. It was the most inefficient way, but it was our only option, and as such as we began our search for the two powerful men.

Hours later and lunch came, and yet the only clues we'd gotten were that they were staying in that same city, something we knew from the start, and only a small number of pokémon had seen or even heard of them. Their temporary residence eluded us all morning, and I was certainly discouraged, for our chances of finding solid leads were slim to none. To make matters worse, there'd been no conversation between Jiho and myself outside from a funny remark or praising my wit. My hopes were slowly dying out, and the only meaningful conversation we had up until that moment was after finishing my lunch and I expressed my worries to her.

"Don't be sad, Mister Jake. I'm sure that you'll find the culprit tonight." One could barely hear her weak voice under the shouting and enthusiastic conversations happening around us.

"There is a lot of pressure on my person right now… I have pinpointed who I believe might be the client, but I need more clues before I can make a solid accusation." I leaned back in my chair, and my silverware clattered on my empty plate. "It seems that I will be forced to interrogate the suspects during the party itself and gather information there." Jiho seemed just as discouraged as I was, which in turn only hurt me further, but that was the moment when something quite remarkable happened.

I saw them from the corner of my eye, but it was enough to warn me of their presentence entirely. "Here too?" I asked myself, confusing my companion. I called the waiter and paid for our food, then motioned Jiho to follow me quickly. She was confused, but I didn't answer immediately, and instead suggested she hid in an alleyway, where I soon joined her. We ducked behind a discarded cupboard and waited… Minutes later that same Roselia walked into the hallway slowly, looking around to try and find us… and the moment they put a step beyond our hiding place I sprung out and placed my claws on her neck. There was a slight delay between my reaction and her scream of surprise, followed by a distressed explanation.

"Wait wait wait wait wait! Stop, you've misunderstood!" I was taken back by hearing my name from this grass type, but I kept my claws there.

"Why are you following us? Speak or I shall slice your throat!"

"You wouldn't do that, you're an explorer, right?!" I frowned, my blades not budging an inch. "I have been following you, yes, but I have my reasons! I'm not who you think I am. If anything, I'm your ally."

"How so?" I attempted to sound threatening, and it was apparently working, as even Jiho was in awe of this sudden change of attitude. Either that or my motions were reminding her too much of those moments when her mistress was her most aggressive. Once again, my mind trailed off to different things than those at play… and quickly regained my focus on the matter at hand. "You have been quietly following us almost all morning. If you were an ally you would've made your presence known the second we'd crossed paths."

They bit their lower lip and sighed. "Ah, well… Alright, I'm not exactly your ally, per se, but you and I share a common goal… As far as I am concerned, you are investigating my clients, after all." I rose an eyebrow and my claw retracted into my wrist, freeing her from my icy grasp. She rubbed her neck, trying to shake the fear off, and faced me, clearing her throat. She looked like a normal Roselia, though the absence of any rose petals around her wrists surprised me. Later she would explain she had lost them in an accident at birth. "My name's Rosa, and I am a private investigator. I have been hired to find the assassin known as Indomatia." My eyes widened, and Jiho shot me a look of surprise that matched my own.

Since we'd left the restaurant in a hurry, it would be indecent of us to return, so we opted to walk to a nearby tavern, and sat in the far back, isolated from any prying eyes or ears that could be stationed there. Jiho and myself were extremely tense now that the Roselia had joined us, and even as she reached down to her wrist to simply rub it, which later she'd explain was just a nervous stick of hers, it was enough for the two of us to become alarmed and observe her closely. Once we made sure we were alone in that area, and only then did Rosa explain her purpose there.

"Indomatia is an extremely intelligent individual… Miss Varsha is not the only pokémon she has threatened apparently." Jiho could see my eyes widen, and I'm sure her's widened as well, but both of us were most surely surprised for completely different reasons. "I have been investigating for quite some time now… and I was shocked to hear that mister Ununga and Sir Loviatar had been threatened by Indomatia."

"They have? Interesting… And I suppose you learned of Mrs. Varsha's involvement from there, right?"

Rosa gave me a wide smile. "I am an ace detective. Of course I learnt of this information soon after I began my investigation… but your presence in this town has confirmed it. When I spotted you walking around asking questions about my clients, with Varsha's little servant no less, I knew that there was a connection between the two of you. I suppose she has hired you to investigate and find out who Indomatia's client is?"

I chose my words very carefully. "One could say that… my main objective involves finding out who their client is, yes, but unfortunately for you, those two pokémon you're investigating for are on the top of my suspect list."

"Oh? Is that so?" The one of her voice was sickeningly sweet, giving her an edge of superiority. "Well, I ought to say the same about your client: Varsha is just as guilty as you find my two clients to be."

She got the reaction she desired from Jiho, but not from myself. "That's ridiculous! I was there when my mistress found the letter!"

"And how do I know you're saying the truth to begin with?"

"The letter still exists and is a crucial piece of evidence, albeit we couldn't trace the handwriting… So the possibility of Varsha not receiving said letter is null."

"It could've been forged, however. Miss Varsha is a rose with thorns… you should know better than anyone." She stared at Jiho as she said this, but that sentence was applicable to myself as well. The fact Jiho didn't defend her further was the same as admitting the abuses, and I kept my eyes on her, determined to speak about this topic with her the next chance I had.

"Very well… but the same applies to your clients. How do you know they aren't lying?"

"I can't be sure, true… but they are my clients, and an investigator must believe in their client… after all, they are the ones paying the paychecks. And speaking of investigators… I've never seen you around, ice boy. Where'd you come from, hm? How do I know you're not the fabled assassin?" She inquired, and once again triggered a violent reaction from Jiho.

"Mister Jake is a kind soul, he'd never…" She suddenly stopped talking as she was about to say something, probably some praise towards myself, but she seemingly decided against it, which only made me more suspicious of her true feelings.

"Jiho, worry not… I have the answers you want, Rosa. I am Jake, member of the celebrated Team Star." I reached into my bag and threw my explorer's badge, which I'd kept hidden all this time, on the table. Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed and inspected the badge, probably to try and make sure it wasn't a fake. Her paranoia was understandable, as this assassin was known for being quite thorough with their cover.

"Team Star, eh? Interesting… what business do explorers from Sinnoh have in this wonderful region?" The word 'wonderful' was pronounced in a sardonic manner, and I smiled as my badge was returned.

"One could say it's a favour for a dear friend…" I glanced at the beautiful servant behind me, attempting to praise her. "But the main reason would be that we were formally requested to help with this task. In a different manner, of course, but nonetheless it is our duty to help those in need."

I wasn't the only one that looked at Jiho, as Rosa also glanced at her when I finished that sentence. "Help those in need… of course." She'd no doubt caught on to the double meaning in my words. The true doubt in my mind was if Jiho had.

"Whatever the case, we both chase the same goal: Stopping Indomatia."

"And yet we have different opinions on who might have hired her." I countered her point with my own, and yet we both knew we'd reached a standstill, and that this conversation would not proceed if the other didn't give up some information.

She was the first to do so. "Mr. Ununga is quite new in the field of politics, and comes from Hoenn, an interesting detail that perhaps you should consult with Varsha… but his reasons for coming here are mainly to establish better relationships between all regions. As for Loviatar, he does not remember miss Varsha fondly… but to reach such lengths for someone he never truly loved is just foolish."

"Oh?" I wrote down both of these points, making a mental note to question Varsha later, even if the information was extremely scarce, and she clearly had no intentions of giving me more information, even if I told her everything. "If that's the case, I shall trust that you just said the truth… that inform you that Miss Varsha has already been dealing with Indomatia's presence for quite some time now."

"Oh, and why would that be?"

"She had her own reasons to not let it be known an assassin is out to kill her, but in the end she resorted to Team Star, and consequently, myself." We remained quiet for a few minutes. "I am only searching for the truth."

"So am I… but apparently neither of us are willing to give the other much information… then again we are rivals in this business: I have my reasons to believe Varsha's just staging this whole thing and using you as his puppet, you have your reasons to believe I'm bluntly lying about the others." I nodded, just to spite her, and the woman sighed and got up. "Then we're done talking… then again I believe we'll be meeting again really soon, mister Jake… so until then I wish you the best in your investigations." She walked to the bar and paid for all our drinks before heading outside, slamming the door.

"She must not be happy that you refused her deal." Jiho pointed out, albeit I only responded with a humm, thinking that she might be furious for another far more important reason: that I was closer to the truth than she'd originally expected.

"Perhaps… but what I do know is that our investigation for today is over. We must make haste to get back to the estate and prepare for tonight's ball." Of course I intended to do more than just that, as I had a few questions to ask to my magnanimous client… but I wanted to get to a secluded and quiet area to finally question Jiho about what had happened last night. It was time that I learned the truth behind Varsha's behaviour, so that way I would be better prepared for what awaited me that night.

To my utter shock however, once we got on that carriage as the sun started descending over the horizon, she was the one to comment. "Thank you for defending my mistress like that, Jake… That woman… the nerve…"

I sighed and crossed my legs, looking at her in the eyes. "Perhaps she has her reasons to believe Varsha is the type to throw stones and hide the hand."

Her eyes narrowed on me and felt like daggers stabbing away at my skin, yet I persevered and kept a straight face, which in turn made her realize where this conversation was headed. The mood changed drastically, and it felt as if the light in the carriage dimmed, the temperature got colder and the Zebstrikas clopping outside were muted. "Please Jake, don't…"

"I can't ignore what I saw last night, Jiho, I simply cannot. Nobody in their right mind who is a defender of freedom can stay silent after witnessing the aftermath of a senseless beating." She looked up at me, opening her mouth to speak. "And do not dare tell me it was justified: you behaved yourself perfectly during that day, and obeyed her every order. Everything questionable you did was under my requests and petitions, so I should've been the one to pay the price, and yet she took it out on you."

"No, no it's not like that, she… She…"

"She what, Jiho?" I tried to press her, and I knew it was hurting her, but having reached that point there was no other alternative: even if it hurt her to admit it, she would admit to her mistress' abuses, because they were just that, without a shadow of a doubt.

"She… she was angry with me because… you and I were spending a lot of time together… just talking… exchanging glances… She mentioned it to me after we got to the estate, she said: 'Jiho, I don't want you to spend time with that man. He's dangerous.'"

You can imagine the look on my face once she said this. Dangerous? Absurd! She was the only dangerous pokémon in that region for all I cared! The sight of Jiho's precious cheek in tainted by the crimson red marks from the slapping were all the proof I needed to take that woman to the gallows… I had to keep myself calm, as you can guess, breathing deeply as I requested her to elaborate in my monotone voice. I could not show my weakness, specially to her.

"I don't know though, she just… said it. That's why she had me eat with the other servants that day. When you called me, I knew that I had a choice: if I sat next to Varsha, I'd avoid my punishment, but if I sat with you…" She fell silent after that, and neither of us said anything for quite some time.

"Why did you choose me?" I inquired, and even she was at a loss for words.

"I don't know… but I just… when I'm with you I feel… better."

"Better? But I thought you said you had everything you wanted with Varsha." She buried her face in her hands and started shaking it. "But now that you have met me, someone that comes from the outside, you now realize the reality of your situation…"

"No…"

"She's using you. You're just a puppet…"

"Please stop you don't know…"

"You cannot fake the punishment you received last night Jiho, I saw it with my e-" She cut me off with a scream, and out of the corner of my eye I saw something most peculiar: frost had spread across the window of the carriage, covering the edges and threatening to keep us stuck. Barely had I realized it that my breath was now visible, and that it wasn't my imagination. The temperature in there was lower than normal.

I didn't have more time to pay close attention to these details, as she soon called my eyes back on her with a series of heart wrenching sobs, which threatened to crack my cool exterior and force me to reveal my true nature… instead I simply leaned forward and patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, and yet I knew that my blank slate of a face would do very little to help. "I just… What am I doing?"

"Jiho… please, think about the relationship you and Varsha have… on your days of servitude. And ask yourself, truly: have you ever felt ok with this?"

She sobbed and took a few quick breaths. "I… Yes, for a long time I did… I felt safe with her, safe from the outside world, where mean pokémon prowled and waited for someone like me, someone weak, to appear, to abuse me, to spit on me…" I listened to her every word, and my mind traced back to you: the world I grew up in was just like that, hostile and unwelcoming, and overall, terrifying. To know someone was above you, taking care of you like a puppy… it was a gift for me. But you brought me so much more: an education, knowledge, and treated me like a child of your own…

But Varsha… Varsha hadn't done any of that. Not once did you hit me, and yet she had done just that with poor, frail Jiho. She may have taught her how to read, but she was still a prisoner in her mind… it was all useless, Varsha had consumed Jiho, and she was her possession. I explained all of this and more to the poor thing, who was shocked to hear of my past… I excluded you from the story, as you may understand, and simply referred to you as my patron.

"I'm just… nothing… a void. She has taken it all away from me…" She began to understand and to see things from my perspective.

"Yes, that is what I think… her excuses and explanations on why she's doing all of these things are no longer valid in the face of the hard facts present. I haven't let any prejudices and assumptions take hold: what I have explained to you are the logical deductions I have reached with the evidence I have gathered. Nothing less. Nothing more."

She sniffed once more, looking into my eyes. "All this time, she has been taking advantage of me?" I could see her hands clench into fists. "Those times we celebrated her birthday, and she shared the cake with me… she gifted me these dresses and clothes… all of it was to make me feel like I was a part of her life, right?"

I nodded. "She's a manipulative individual. The only thing she has done is weave a web of lies in the which she's wrapped you in." She was still crying, and I could sense the pain that this was causing her… but at the time it felt like the right thing to do, and these were the appropriate things to say: the truth. "Varsha is someone who says one thing, but does the opposite. Like a Kecleon that change their appearance to suit the environment, she too changes her attitude to fancy those around her." Now the fact that she'd left Loviatar made far more sense in my mind: he had been the first to identify the true nature of that woman and she'd decided to push him out of her life.

"I just… I'm so sorry about all this Jake… You came into my life so recently and yet I feel like… Like I've known you for so long." I wanted to say the same thing… but couldn't. Perhaps because I feared she'd answer by saying I was lying, or perhaps because I knew that it wasn't quite like that… because you were never like that. I did my wrongs, and I was punished, but it was never physical, I was never flagged. I was appropriately instructed… you were not like that horrid woman.

She eventually calmed down, and as we reached the estate again I could see a new light in her eyes. I advised her to keep quiet and to observe Varsha's behaviour, for she was very clever and would notice any odd changes in her behaviour, and swore to do so… and still, when we got down and I once again offered my hand to help her down from the carriage, she refused to let go, gripping it with all her strength… and I gripped it back. We needn't words between us, those responses were all we needed.

As we approached the monster of a grass type opened the doors, and now, finally, her true colours on this play, she approached us. "You two… do you know how late it is?! Where have you been?! Where did you go?!"

"If you must know…" I quickly took a step forward. "I decided to go to Pontavicel to gather information about our subjects… and I did learn of some interesting bits of information I'd like to discuss with you." Her scowl disappeared from an instant and nodded… but then her eyes landed on the single mistake that may have decided the outcome of what was to happen in the coming days: she spotted our hands, still interlocked. In our passion and foolishness we'd forgotten to disengage, and thus when she saw them, we quickly tried to correct it…

But the damage was done, and her eyes would've turned black like the blood in her veins had they gone bloodshot. She quietly ordered Jiho to go help the servants, and requested I go up to her room to discuss my findings… But her voice said it all: venom slipped through her teeth, hissing internally as the rage inside of her coiled and slithered through her veins. We both did as we were told, and Varsha took me to the room where, just the night prior, Jiho had been physically abused.

It was a room fit for a baroness: the rich birch wood planks that made up the floor contrasted with the deep blue carpet with those golden patterns, making a complicated pattern which seemed to be a crest: a pair of spider like legs webbing and crafting a long shirt made out of web. The massive wardrobe to the left was wide open, and inside three smaller wardrobes could be seen, with a large mirror and a folding screen besides them for her to change. Not only that, but she also had her own personal bath behind that folding screen, one that she would not have to share with anyone.

She led me to the other side of her room, glancing past the impressive bed with dozens of pillows of different shapes, colors and sizes, and to a modest round table, where a tray with a kettle of tea, cups and pastries waited. I sat down out of courtesy, the only thing left I had for the woman besides my bitter contempt. She too sat down, served both of us the tea and took a long sip… before putting down her cup and looking at me.

"Has nobody ever taught to mind your own business, Jake?"

I frowned. "Perhaps you should better define what **my** business is in this house, miss Varsha."

She slammed her cup and the plate she'd been holding. "Don't you disrespect me, you fool! I am far more powerful than that band of fools you've put together to save our world! Your time to shine came and went, you're all washed up and reduced to doing petty missions menial tasks! Meanwhile I am building the economy of our world and changing history, spending every last second of my day to improving my business, making better trades and taking care of the pokémon that I have been charged with!" She leaned forward and pointed her arm at me. "And you, **you** don't have the right to come here and start putting your ideas into my servant's heads, least of all Jiho."

I barely managed to keep my claws inside my wrists through all of that… but lashing out seemed like the worst thing to do at a time like that, and so I resisted… at least on the physical level. "Perhaps you have forgotten, but the 'band of fools' that I'm a proud member of has one primary goal that overshadows all others: to help those in need. And what I have seen here since coming to this estate is nothing but pokémon in dire need of freedom. Something you've taken from them. Your pokémon? **Your servants**? You have no right to own them. You have them under your control, poisoning their heads with ideas that the world outside is cruel, and that they would not survive without your help… I know how you work, but unlike you, the one I met had the decency to treat those under his control with decency, like actual pokémon instead of tools. You could do so much more for these pokémon to improve their lifestyles, and yet here you are, keeping them under your heel!"

"They would run away the instant they got that freedom! They all do! They are fools, uneducated, they don't know any better! They would only waste their lives away at the end of some alleyway, starving and resorting to questionable ways just to survive! But above else, you have judged me **wrong**. You do not know me, you only know a small fraction of who I am, the part that I have decided to show you and nothing else! How **dare you** treat me like a monster, when the only freak in this house is you! You hide your feelings from everyone! You're the one who is still shackled, bound by the chains around your heart!"

I bit my lip, finally showing a reaction, which in turn made her smirk. "But let's take it a step further, shall we? Let's talk about Jiho… poor, sweet gentle Jiho, right? She wouldn't hurt a flower, would she?" She slammed her arm. "Wrong. You're dead wrong! I'm the only one that completely understands her… I keep her in check, controlled so that she doesn't lash out…" I didn't have the intent of listening to her lie about Jiho… but I listened to her words against my better judgement. It wasn't as if I had a choice anyways.

"Then let's begin, shall we? She's probably told you her story about her childhood, right? Poor thing was kicked out of her house when she was still young and found me, who gave her a home, food, a purpose, companionship and more… so much more… but there's something she forgot to tell you, or rather something she doesn't know… she wasn't so much kicked out of her home, but rather she exiled herself after she froze her entire family to the woodworks." My eyes widened in surprise, and she nodded. "Yeah… Bet you never imagined that, eh? Not even she remembers it, she was too young and she shock of the event must've altered her perception of the incident… but they were there, I remember it: frozen, stuck, and **horrified**. And she was peacefully sleeping in the middle of that scene… on the ice."

"After that, my father and I convinced her that her family had kicked her out, something the poor thing believed because of her previous experiences with them… if only she knew she'd eventually ended them out of spite… The time freeze came at just the perfect time too, since I was able to lie to her about their demise. I protected her from herself… and yet we were always wary. Wary of the time she would lash out and attempt to kill us… but I felt pity for her: she was alone in the world, completely empty and nowhere to go, and back then that was something I could relate with… so I kept her."

"Like you would an abandoned pet?"

"No… **like a sister**." I heard her voice wane when she said that… and was unable to determine whether it was a bold faced lie… or something that had been buried so deep inside her heart that just admitting to it had brought excruciating pain. "But you, you just don't understand anything… and you're here to take her away. You're the one poisoning her, making her see things that aren't there… and I will hold you responsible, mister Jake, I shall chase you if I must, if anything bad were to happen to her. Because she's still an impressionable girl, mister Jake… and she has been paying close attention to you." I looked up at her. "You know what she asked me the other day? She asked me to please let her spend more time with you… she requested something like that to her master…"

"It's her own life, she can do what she w-"

"I refuse to let her throw her life away with you! She's mine, **mine and mine alone**! Not once before had she asked for freedom, and yet… now that you're here, she hasn't stopped. That moment you found us talking yesterday, when you broke that vase that's worth more than your own pathetic life? Well, she once again pleaded for freedom… and there's a saying mister Jake, a saying in my family that puts this all into perspective…"

" _Those who plead for freedom…Are the ones least deserving of it._ "

* * *

"After that, the conversation about Jiho, her abuses… everything just stopped. I tried to question her about Loviatar's reasons and if she'd left her and he found out all of this… but she only repeated what she once told me. She did admit however, that most of her servants were originally from Hoenn…"

"Can I interrupt you for a moment, Jake?" Dusknoir suddenly cuts me off, a concerned look on his face. "I feel like there is something I must say… a conclusion of sorts about miss Varsha." I sit straight, tempted to say that there needn't be anything left to say, but I keep quiet in awe of my mentor's wisdom. "Do you still believe, from the bottom of your heart, what you told Miss Varsha on that day?"

"Yes." I answer, but it takes a few seconds of doubt for me to express my opinion, and he immediately catches on.

"You were unsure just now. Can you guarantee that back then you were absolutely sure of what you were saying?" This time, I remain silent… but still nod. "Very well, then let me explain my point of view on this issue: while clearly not the kindest pokémon in the world, and I haven't had any sort of personal contact with her… I must guess that with her family heritage, her childhood was troublesome: surrounded by servants, it must've been difficult for her to find friends, and her parents thought of her more as a tool for them to know their empire would live on after their deaths than an actual daughter they had to raise. I deduced this from what she said about her past and Jiho's having something in common…"

"Then why not treat her servants with more respect?" I ask quickly, trying to find a crack in his argument… but he only shakes his head.

"Her family could've easily drilled the idea that she should never find herself being friends with a servant into her mind from a very young age… She felt terribly alone, and was terrified that you would take the only pokémon she had actually grown fond of and was willing to go to insane lengths to keep them safe from the outside world and themselves." I remain silent as he explains this.

"As I said before too, physical punishment is something that is employed in certain parts of the world to help reform Primal pokémon, but even pokémon that have recovered their senses still fall to their primal instincts from time to time, and in those situations it is best thought that they should be trained like the beasts they are: through punishments."

"Are you trying to justify her actions?"

"By all means, no. There are far better ways to do those things… I know now that I have committed the same crimes she's done. What I am trying to do here, is for you to understand and see things from my point of view, from someone who, while vastly different, was eerily similar to that woman. These are all my ideas and theories… but you had your own when you confronted her, didn't you?" I remain silent after he says this, and he leans back in his chair again. "Continue." Even with the look of concentration on his face I can see a single tear sprouting from the corner of his eye, glistening in the light of the sun.

* * *

At long last, the time of the ball was nigh. I of course, had to dress for the occasion so as to not raise any suspicions. The highest of the highest were invited to dine, and as such I had to look presentable myself too. I was provided with a luxurious tuxedo, similar in design to those found in human ruins, but of course re-sized to suit my own relatively small stature. The fabric was smooth and comfortable, or at least that's what I was told, as I found it to be extremely uncomfortable and limiting of my physical capabilities. Every time I attempted to move, run or shift in an unusual way I ran the risk of tearing the fabric, and I must admit the last thing I wanted was to incite the rage or laughter from the party goers, but above all, call their attention unnecessarily.

Jiho put on the same Kimono she'd worn the first time we'd met, and she looked quite stunning in it, and as for Varsha, her dress was far more… revealing. One would've confused it with a piece of lingerie hadn't she established that the fabric was intentionally thin and revealing. It sparkled with the light that the candles provided, and wore a long red cap on top of her dress, both to keep it a surprise 'till we reached the ball and of course to shield herself from the cold. Thankfully, I managed to avoid wearing a bowtie with my clothing, otherwise I might've choked to death that very night.

Alas, the silence in the carriage as the three of us left for Pontavicel was almost unbearable. We refused to look at each other, and we remained completely still for the duration of the hour long trip, before the carriage came to a stop amidst a flurry of voices and conversations echoing around us. Varsha was the first to leave, Fabio helping her down to the dirt. He too was wearing a tuxedo, and I felt pity for the Hitmonlee, who had been forced to wrap that blasted torture device around his neck. I got down and was tempted to help Jiho, but Fabio took that role too, if anything to spare us the wrath of their mistress, which I accepted.

We walked out in front of a small palace located near the coast, yet far away from Pontavicel itself, its buildings fading away into the misty darkness. The palace itself had been built by a member of the royalty as a summer residence. It wasn't terribly impressive, but it was much more luxurious than miss Varsha's estate would ever be. The amount of guests was quite staggering too, though the species were far less diverse: among the two hundred plus partygoers, I probably spotted fifty different species. Suddenly, those articles about race superiority favoring bipedals made much more sense.

"It's surprising to see that the world is much more different than back home." I commented out loud, and surprisingly, Varsha commented on it.

"Sinnoh is one of the more permissive regions in the world… all things considered, it is a region fit for freedom seekers such as yourself." There was obviously some scorn in her words, but I refused to fall to her taunts. We both knew that no distractions were allowed that night: Indomatia would surely strike, and it would be my duty to bring them to justice.

The reception was nearly over when we arrived, and of course we saluted and bowed in front of the noble family in whose property we would dine that night. They were a family of Pikachus and Raichus, barely worth mentioning in my opinion, and they barely spoke with us. Instead Varsha was the center of the attention, exchanging information about her new line of clothing, which she revealed soon after as she placed her coat away, showing her thin dress to those there.

Surprisingly, this earned her mixed reactions, but the vast majority offered up an ovation for the fashion designer, and she was surely the talk of the party for the remainder of the reception. All three of us sat together, and Jiho valiantly sacrificed herself in order to prevent Varsha and I from entering a heated debate once more, but it gave me the chance to observe my surroundings and the guests. Sure enough, I spotted my targets somewhere else in the room. The Cunabulanian politicians, Deandre and Brás, a Lombre and a Mandibuzz respectively, were obviously sitting together, chatting amicably and, to my utter shock, wearing the clothes they seemingly hated oh so much. It would probably be a scandal if I were to release this to the press… but I'd rather not, for what happened at the end of this party would most likely take centre stage.

Ununga was a shiny Xatu, his bright colors clearly outshining any shade of green present in that table, and he was wearing the robes that were customary of his species, but in different shades of a darker orange. He remained quiet and listened for quite some time, but would later talk at length once it was his turn to speak, and when he finished his speeches he would receive an outstanding ovation that interrupted our conversations, even if they were sitting meters away from us.

As for Loviatar… he was a massive Emboar sitting at the opposite end of our table, and would roar with laughter every few minutes alongside his friends, which curiously enough, were all males. The flames around his neck burnt brightly, but they didn't singe the robes he wore, which I was later explained were customary of Kanto clan leaders, of the which he was one.

I would also later on learn through the Emboar, that neither Kaori or Ayame Shimizu had appeared that night due to some recent business in Sinnoh. Some, most of all the fire type, lamented their absence, but that crossed out one target from my list, of the which I was thankful. Dinner went by with no further problems, trays of exotic fruits, dishes and other snacks flying by before my eyes. I never ate much, even back home, and to make matters worse my nerves had all but made me hungry. When questioned why I wouldn't eat, my answer was that I was either stressed out during my first night among pokémon of such caliber, in case of any other pokémon, or the nerves from the mission I was to carry out that night if it was Jiho who asked. Varsha, vile as always, forced me to eat anyways, saying that if I didn't I'd raise suspicions.

After the food was taken away everyone was called to the dancing hall, and finally the main event of the night took place: the great ball that many had been looking for, began with a slow melody, and the first dance began. I of course, sat it out and inspected the surroundings to try and find any of my targets. Luckily enough, the politicians were free at the moment, having skipped the first dance because of their reckless eating, and mentioned they would probably leave early due to stomachaches. I tried to extract any information from them, but their lips were sealed most of the time, except when I told them I was there on behalf of Miss Varsha.

"Oh, she's sent you now, has she? Someone's gotta put an end to that woman's hypocrisy… what does she want from us now? Hasn't she done enough to torture and embarrass us?"

"Today she just had to bring that Arceus damned dress… it's as if she did it to mock us." Knowing her, I doubted that was too farfetched.

Someday, my friend, someday…" I thanked them for their cooperation, but those comments were all the evidence I needed from them: the possibility of them being the contractors were still high.

The first dance finished and the second one began, though to my utter dismay both Ununga and Loviatar were occupied, and to my shock, Loviatar was with Varsha, dancing in the middle of the room. I had no ways to approach and listen to the conversation that was taking place between them… before Jiho quickly floated up to me and grabbed my hand. "Mister Jake… may you please give me this dance?"

"But… your mistress… she'll…"

"I don't care anymore… and neither should you. Indomatia can get away with this for all I care… I simply want to thank you, Jake." She tightened the grip around my hand and gave me a smile I couldn't refuse. With a smile of my own, I grabbed her hand and we both walked into the mob. We danced and danced as the melody around us swung back and forth, the sounds marking our tempo as we got lost in the large group of dancers. We got closer to Loviatar and Varsha, and even if Jiho refused to pay attention to them I easily split my attention between us and them without her noticing.

"...has been a long time, still… You don't come visit."

"I don't need to, Loviatar… And the last thing I want is to visit someone like you." Varsha answered with scorn in her voice, but the Emboar only laughed and pressed her against him.

"You're wearing a lovely dress tonight… I remember that back in the day I was the only one that could get such a gaze at your body. Finally decided to show your true colors, you b-" He was cut short by the sound of her foot stomping his foot, and I could've sworn I heard a toe break. However, he held back the whine of pain and instead groaned as she leaned in closer and whispered something into his ear. His eyes went wide open, and I couldn't hear what she said, but whatever it was it made him back away and walk into the crowd, looking utterly terrified. She too walked away in search of a more… suitable partner. As she walked by us however, she said something in an extremely low voice.

"It's him… It's definitely him..." And with that she melted into the crowd. She'd been doing her own investigation apparently, but I doubted the fruits of her search were that trusty… No doubt Loviatar's resentment for the woman far exceeded any fear he felt. The dance ended and me and Jiho parted ways, though she advised I be careful and that she'd keep an eye on me.

I looked around the room and finally crossed paths with Ununga… who called me over himself. "Oh, you! It was you precisely that I wanted to speak with!" I looked around, confused, and then pointed at my humble self. The ambassador nodded and with a smile extended his wing to me. "I am Ununga Ranj, pleased to make your acquaintance… I know most of the pokémon here, but I had failed to notice your presence before. Are you perhaps a friend of Miss Varsha?"

I was confused as to why he'd made that assumption, but then I remembered the three of us had not only been together up until that point, but also the fact we'd entered the palace together as well thanks to Varsha's invitation. "Yes, I am an acquaintance of sorts.."

"Ooh, fantastic! An ally of my ally is also my ally… there is a much shorter phrase in my native tongue that expresses the same meaning without the need of all the repetition… but unfortunately I have learned the hard way that translations aren't reliable." His thick accent made it hard to understand his words, specially any hard consonants, which he pronounced with a slight pause.

"Definitely, unless you know who it is that interprets your speeches, your message could become corrupted. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ununga, I am Jake the Sneasel."

He stared at me, puzzled. "Jake the Sneasel… No surname of any kind? Strange… Well, I merely wanted to introduce myself, though you seem as if you want to ask me something! Well, ask away!"

His invitation made me quite wary… but I accepted it. "What is your relationship with Miss Varsha? You sounded like you were awfully close, and yet I have never heard her mention you, sir."

"Oh, that may because the relationship between us is strictly formal… My duty as an ambassador is to help Hoenn reach the level of progress that the rest of the regions of the world enjoy. Our continent has been torn by endless civil wars and dictatorships… and I aim to change that through diplomacy and dialogue. Our mutual friend was quite adamant at first, but I managed to convince her to send some of her merchandise to Hoenn, and goodness has it made a profit. I wanted to congratulate her tonight, but it seems she's awfully busy…"

I turned to face Varsha, and sure enough she was dancing with one of the politicians, who was far more busy in staring at her hips underneath the thin dress than actually following the dancing routines. "Yes, busy indeed…" I jested, and the Xatu laughed heartily.

"It surprises me to see such rambunctious youth taking part not only in politics, but also in such a fine and calculated meal… It is so calculated in fact, that once dinner ends they shall deliver glasses of champagne assigned to each table! Of course, only the servants of the dukes that have so graciously invited us here know of this order, and I find that to an interesting detail. Then again, it is understandable: our guests have always kept a tight leash around their servant's necks, something I find saddening… yet some people will never buckle, even under the weight of the truth. Wouldn't you agree?" I nodded, and he shook his head in disappointment. "But that is the way our world works… but give it time, my boy… and everything and everyone shall be put in their place."

I found this ambassador to be a very particular and agreeable individual, and understood why so many congratulated him on his speeches… and yet it was not enough to dissipate my doubts. That would mean, however, that all four of them were just as likely to have hired Indomatia. The fourth ball came to an end, and I was simply sitting by the sidelines, watching Jiho dance with a random pokémon… before a familiar figure stepped into my line of sight. Clad in a silky purple dress, Rosa looked down at me and extended her hand as an invitation.

I couldn't help but smile, as she was the pokémon I most wanted to talk with at the time. I accepted her hand and the two of us walked into the crowd. We simply let the music lead our pace through the room, staying silent for the first minute of the gentle waltz. "My my… you look quite ravishing today, mister explorer."

"I could say the same thing. Your dress is a beautiful shade of purple… but I did not take you for the type that dressed up like these aristocrats to put on a show."

She giggled. "Such harsh words… I could say the same, but then again we're probably wearing these to avoid unnecessary attention, aren't we?" I nodded, and frowned as the conversation was once again dragged into that area.

"What do you mean?"

"They're here, Jake. Indomatia is in this palace." I felt a shiver run up my spine. Already? One of the pokémon in that room… was the assassin I'd been chasing that entire time? "We must tread lightly now… each second that passes could be Varsha's last. Or our own for that matter." I grasp her hands tightly and look around, my eyes darting from pokémon to pokémon, paranoia setting in… Who? Who had their sights on us?

"How do you know?" I quickly asked as we started turning, looking and covering the other's backs as now any and all pokémon that came close was a potential threat.

"I found one of the servants knocked out… so wager a guess they did something in that area or they were caught red handed. Come, this isn't a safe place to talk." She disengaged and quickly lead me up the stairs. The hall the ball was taking place was on the bottom floor of the palace, and a set of curved stairs lead to an elevation, which in turn had two sets of stairs left and right that took one to the top floor of the palace and the many rooms there, but on this elevation there were also large windows with wooden frames, through the which the night sky was visible. Rosa opened the door and lead me outside, after which she closed the door behind us. The music was now almost inaudible, only muffled noise, though it quickly faded and stopped as the ball came to an end and dinner began.

"Where's the servant?" I asked as I walked to the edge of the balcony, leaning its edge and admiring the well kept garden with a hedge maze there.

"He's inside, but I simply took you out here to… talk." I turned around… and my eyes went wide open as she approached me slowly, her hands behind her back and doing the straps on her dress, smiling. "Or rather, we could let our bodies do the talking… don't you think?"

I leaned back on the railing, appalled by the sight before me… My behaviour up until that point had been strange, for sure, but even I was surprised. "What… what is the meaning of this?"

"Can't you guess? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one…" She replied, and I saw one of the sides of her dress lean to the side, letting me see just a bit more of her naked shoulder… "I never share any information with anyone hun, even with a fellow seeker of truth… But when I laid my eyes on you, my oh my, my heart skipped a beat… So elegant, so graceful in your stride as you looked over your shoulder and questioned each and everything that came onto your path… so inquisitive… determined…" Her voice slowly became music to my ears as her words faded to a whisper, centimeters away from me, my arms extending…

To parry the blade that grew from her palm and tried to cut me down to size, quickly pushing it to the side as it stabbed the stone railing, but the whip that surged from her hand whistled by my side and ripped the tuxedo with its thorns, wrapping itself around my waist and burying the pricks into my waist. I hissed in pain as I was violently hurled away onto my back in the middle of the balcony, recovering quickly just in time to stop yet another thrust from her blade, and this time grabbed her other with my free hand. We both remained still as we struggled against the other's force: her's was staggering, but my expertise and positioning were only saving graces.

"So foolish… You know for being the brains of your team, I would've expected you to realize I wasn't to be trusted… I mean, Indomatia going after multiple targets? Please, I feel flattered, but even an idiot would realize how delusional the idea is: going after different objectives would just draw more attention to me, and I can't be having that now, can I?" I groaned as I felt the strength in my limbs falter, slowly turning around as if we were dancing. "And of course, I didn't expect you of all pokémon would be sent here… so that's why I had to make up something quick, to throw you off… and it worked!" She started laughing, then it turned into a cackle. "And you haven't realized that our position also works itself into my plan!"

My eyes widened as she breathed into my face, and I took in a breathful of spores. My head swam as I lost my footing and fell on my back, dazed and confused… I felt a weight falling on my hips, and knew she was on top of me. "But… it's all over now for you… and after Varsha's done with, perhaps I'll track down your friends, just to keep you all nice and quiet!" She readied her blade… and brought it down on my neck. Oh, how much of an idiot I'd been, to have been played for such a fool…

If only I wasn't smiling at the time.

The door swung open and an icicle embedded itself in her shoulder, making the assassin howl in pain, distracting her long enough for me to bury my claws into her chest, through the dress. "W-what?!" Was all she could utter before I and quickly used the full force of my body to prop her up, buried my feet into her abdomen and launched her back against the railing. It all happened so quickly than when she realized what had transpired she was bleeding profusely… and yet that didn't seem to worry her. "How did this-"

"Mister Jake!" Jiho quickly came to my aid once more, and helped me up from the floor as I cleaned the tiny trail of blood that escaped my mouth. Even with that small mark, however, I was smiling.

"It seems that the one who was tricked… was you, Indomatia!" I'd known for a long time now. I'd quickly caught on from the moment she referred to Indomatia as a "she"... a small detail, yet one I no doubt paid attention to. Not only that, but she also referred to me as an explorer long before I even pulled out the badge from my bag, which was featureless. If that hadn't been incredibly suspicious all on its own however, all of the information and deductions she had explained just now I'd already solved, and that meant that the only possible culprit was her.

"You little fuck… You tricked me all this time?!" She struggled to stand up.

"Jake was onto you from the first moment you showed up… and he knew you'd try something during the party to try and kill him!" Jiho shouted back.

"Which is why I told her to pay attention and follow closely when we inevitably crossed paths… and interrupt whatever was to happen at your weakest moment." I finally recovered my balance and looked down at her. "You said it yourself, Indomatia: I am the strategist of Team Star, who I suppose you have been following closely, as we threatened to bring down your little business, correct?!"

She growled as I said this and tried to stand up. "Don't… or else you'll bleed out." I threatened her, but she wasn't deterred by my words.

"You have… no idea… what you've done now, ice boy… You just made this personal… and you **never** do that to an assassin…" She started chuckling after this. "But I'll let you off the hook just this time if you do me a favour… You don't tell anyone who I am and in turn I'll let you save your 'friend'."

Jiho laughed. "You talk as if you had the upper hand in this situation! But it's over! You are cornered and unable to do anything to Varsha!"

"Aaaah, the little pet's finally realized there's a leash around her neck…" I put my arm in front of Jiho, warning her to not fall into the taunt. "But you really think that someone like myself would show themselves directly to their target? Oh no… it has taken me quite some time to exactly decide my method… and trust me, this one will leave you all baffled…" She started laughing and looked at us, trails of blood coming from the corners of her mouth. "Not even if you arrest me here will you be able to prove anything!"

Whilst Jiho wasn't impressed, her words were certainly making me worry. While nowhere close to me, Indomatia's cunningness was a sight to behold. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if you don't go, right…" The sound of a bell chiming thrice in a row was heard. "Now…" The end of the dinner, and after that… the drinks. "Your mistress is going to end up biting the dust."

" _Ladies and gentlemon…_ " The noble Raichu's voice echoed from inside, and I turned around to determine what was about to happen… and saw that the drinks were already being delivered to the table, there were sweets and pastries on each of the guest's plates and the upper floors were dark enough for an additional killer to hide in… and whatever it was, it was about to take place.

And to make matters worse…

"Wait! Don't!" I quickly spun around at the sound of Jiho's scream, and saw as Indomatia gave me one more wicked smile before each and every drop of blood she had shed turned into bright red rose petals.

"Then it's a deal…" She plummeted into the darkness below her, a drop of 20 feet, that when we rushed over to the railing… she was nowhere to be found. Only the rose petals remained in the air, spiraling up into the night sky as if pulled by some unseen force. We stood still for a few seconds… before I took a running start and burst in through the glass door as the toast was about to begin: Ununga, Varsha and Loviatar were sitting right next to eachother, in that order from left to right…

" **Stop!** " The music and the cheering stopped at the sound of my voice, and everyone in the entire palace turned to face me, wide eyed and confused. Some whispering was heard once they acknowledged the deplorable state of my suit… but of course, I'd already planned ahead, and quickly reached into my pocket to pull out the only thing I'd taken with me that night: my explorer's badge.

"I am Jake the Sneasel, member of Team Star!" I announced myself, though my title only earned me a few gasps of surprise and a scowl from Varsha, whilst Jiho came in just after I did. Surely, her ripped kimono and my bloodstained tuxedo were an alarming sight for all of them. "I have been hired by Varsha Koltura to find and apprehend the assassin sent to attempt against her life, Indomatia! This is their blood!" I searched the room for the host of that ball and spoke directly to her. "Perhaps dispatch your guards quickly, before they fade away into the darkness of the night."

The owner was flabbergasted, unsure of what to say… but Varsha took up the opportunity. "Do as he says. He's saying the truth." That was all the Raichu needed as he called for his personal guards and sent them into the hedge maze quickly to find the heavily wounded assassin.

"I am sorry my friends, but it seems that we must cut the evening short after this terrible incident! We will find a medic for mister Jake here an-"

"Not yet!" I interrupted the noble, and he stared at me as if I had just insulted himself and his lineage. I walked down the stairs, keeping my eyes on the four suspects. "There is still something left for me to do here! I was also tasked with finding the pokémon that hired the assassin… and I have deduced that this very pokémon is in this very room!" I was taken aback by the shouts of panic as everyone turned to face the others in a panic, whilst some called me a feeble minded individual.

"This is preposterous! Sir, take him aw-" Loviatar tried to take me away from the picture, but a slap from Varsha promptly shut him up, and I must now confess that such a motion made me smile: this was the first thing Varsha had done that I fully agreed with. "This also involves you, mister Loviatar." She warned him in a playful tone, which made his face drain of color.

"Indeed… however, it is now sir Loviatar Mirèio, Varsha!" Now it was her turn to face me, shocked. "While his resentment for you leaving him, I'm afraid he's too much of a coward to dare speak with such a dangerous criminal, let alone deal with them." I said this with a smile, provoking the Emboar.

"Now hold on just a- **Aaaiee!** " He screamed in true distress as an icicle flew past his body, not even coming close to harming him, but still a projectile I'd fire to scare him and show his true nature to the party goers.

I then turned to the politicians. "And neither is it Deandre Aetius or Brás Kailá, who despise promoting laws against clothing articles in Cunabula, they themselves have come to this dinner wearing the garments and shown lustful actions towards your body during the dance!" This made Varsha chuckle as the two aforementioned pokémon turned bright red, whispers already echoing in the room.

My voice quickly silenced the murmur. "This only leaves us with one possible culprit… one with enough reasons to try and assassinate miss Varsha Koltura…" Everyone looked at the only pokémon who I hadn't mentioned, who was still sitting in his chair, calmly looking at me and smiling at my words. "The ambassador from Hoenn… **Sir Ununga Ranj!** " I pointed my finger at the Xatu, and the reaction was instantaneous: shouts, screams and gasps of shock and denial flew my way, and one of the pokémon even fainted from the shock and suspense, many of the party goers quickly rushing to their aid. Ununga remained still, his eyes looking into my own, a smile written on his face. He knew I was challenging him…

And he accepted the duel.

He started to chuckle, then laugh heartily and clapping, seemingly entertained by all this… then turned to face the noble Raichu. "My friend… I had heard of Unovan plays, but this is simply outstanding!" Even the electric type was confused… but he quickly caught on, and so did Varsha and so did I: news of an assassination attempt in his very home would most likely destroy his reputation. "Too much, I tell you, too much!" He attempted to defuse the situation, and it worked for some, and even the noble was about to admit this was all an elaborate prank…

But to my utter shock, Varsha herself stood up. "I admit it!" She exclaimed, and all in the room turned to face her in disbelief. Even I was shaken to my very core and the work of two weeks of surviving and countering Indomatia's advances was torn down in a single instant. "I, Varsha Koltura was sentenced by the assassin Indomatia in order to release my servants! This is no game or act, and if you don't trust my words, then you may please let me go to my carriage and return with the letter that says so!" She turned to face me as she said this, and I knew right then and there: this woman was insane, insane enough to see her reputation take a hit just to see this Xatu behind bars. "I brought it in the case something like this would happen!" I could see Ununga's face contort into a frown, and the noble quickly ordered a guard to rush to Varsha's carriage and retrieve the letter from there.

I smiled. "Moreover, there is a clear motive for Ununga to have done such a thing!" The crowd turned back to myself. "A fact that I often overlooked is that most of Miss Varsha's servants hailed from Hoenn, the very region that mister Ununga represents!"

"And what does this have to do with anything?!" His voice wavered, and containing himself was starting to become difficult.

"Simple, you yourself have said many times during the course of this dinner, you told me so as well in private and have publicly announced it: Your mission in this land is to achieve peace treaties between your region and Unova and reach equality for all Hoennians! Just the thought of your people working for someone like Varsha without so much revenue as a safe place to live and eat, with no real freedom to speak of… It must've brought you incredible anger! Enough to hire an assassin to try and rid yourself **of the only problem you couldn't solve through words**!"

Silence hung over our heads for quite a few seconds, and even Jiho behind me was rather silent, looking down at the clean floor. I smiled victorious, for it was all over: with a motive and the proof of the deed in our hands, we would most likely be able to conduct a search on him… and surely, a link to Indomatia would be found. The man would be exposed and incarcerated, that's what our silent meant... but it was broken once again by the sound of Sir Ununga's laughter, who cackled loudly, holding his head. "Oh, oh my I think I may just die of laughter!" His apparent joy was so great that he entered a violent coughing fit, though recovered quickly, taking a sip of champagne to clear his throat, then looked at me. "Very well… I concede: I do have a motive to despise Miss Varsha, and as you said, I am very much disappointed that she couldn't treat her slaves in a much more… respectable manner." The use of the word 'slaves' once again brought whispers back into the room.

"Moreover, you have yet to present any physical evidence, my boy… all you have said so far is baseless rabble thought up by you, pathetic self righteous seekers of justice! You, 'explorers' and 'rescuers' who claim to wander the lands in search of pokémon to help, and yet my people lie in need and you do **nothing** to help! How could I be a villain in this situation, which I am not, I assure you, when Miss Varsha has dozens of innocent pokémon living in her estate and working long days at her farms just to produce the clothes you now wear?!" Ununga was criticizing both Varsha and I… and for a second I thought that the madman was willing to take us down with him… but his plot went further beyond than that.

"Sir! It's horrible!" The guard returned hastily, a terrified expression on his face. "Miss Varsha's carriage is… is… It's gone! And there's a dead Hitmonlee where it once stood! He seemed to have been crushed to death by hooves!" Chills went down our spines as the foreboding news arrived, and Ununga sat back down on his chair, smiling.

"You see? All of it, baseless conjecture… Team Star itself has declined quite a lot these past few years, haven't they? But this… trying to blame a mere ambassador of hiring an assassin to kill the baroness of silk… Such a farfetched story! And yet here we are, discussing these senseless accusations against my humble person! Have you no shame, explorers?! Where were you when our world was frozen solid in time?! Where were you when our people ate each other to survive?! Where were you when the people of this world truly needed you?! Frozen too, that's the truth! Time itself was restarted thanks to your team you say? I claim it to be false, for this representative has said nothing but lies!" His speech was rallying up the pokémon and the situation had turned from favorable to grim in just a few seconds.

Miss Varsha's business would no doubt suffer from this, and in turn all the slaves would too… Team Star's reputation would be tarnished… but worst of all, this pokémon would walk away untouched… No! No I couldn't let it end like this! There had to be something! There had to be evidence somewhere. The letter was probably gone, and there was no doubt in mind it was Indomatia's doing… but how?! How did she know where to find it?

Furthermore, he had just admitted to his motives, but as he just said, without any hard evidence there was no way to prove Varsha had been threatened to begin with… Our situation looked truly dire, and yet I closed my eyes and focused. All around me faded into darkness and the voices of the pokémon in the ballroom were all silenced as I concentrated… and remembered.

 _Indomatia is a dangerous assassin, they've never been caught…_

 _Not even if you arrest me will you be able to prove anything!_

 _Three rose petals…_

 _Please help her, I'm begging you!_

 _I am Varsha Koltura…_

 _It is so calculated in fact, that once dinner ends they shall deliver glasses of champagne assigned to each table!_

 _Ununga Ranj..._

 _Hoenn Ambassador…_

 _I found a servant unconscious…_

 _Of course, only the servants of the dukes that have so graciously invited us here know of this order…_

 _Calculated…_

 _Only the servants know…_

 _One of them was unconscious…_

 _The perfect crime…_

My eyes shot wide open and the stared at one element in particular in the entire room: Miss Varsha's untouched glass of Champagne. And then it hit me.

"Everyone, I must ask you to please leave this room now, this has gotten out of hand…"

" **Hold it**!" I interrupted the noble for the third and final time and quickly rushed over to the table where Ununga and Varsha were sitting right next to eachother. He looked at me, frustrated.

"You never know when to give up, do you boy?" As he said this I walked over the table, to the dismay of some of the guests, careful enough to not drop the glass, and once I was between Varsha and the Xatu, and only then, did I face him.

"I shall never give up… not while there is hope to bring a despicable pokémon such as you to justice, for I have found the evidence you so desperately wanted…" His eyes went wide open as I reached for the glass of champagne. "Behold: the murder weapon!" Everyone's eyes focused on the glass and its contents: it was just a long neck glass, and the liquid inside it was the usual yellow shade of champagne, bubbling and enticing.

"It is just champagne… do not play me for a fool!" He stood up to try and take it away… but I quickly dodged, keeping the liquid intact.

"Just before I was taken away by miss Indomatia, she mentioned an important detail… she'd found one of the servants unconscious. She no doubt used this to try and distract me from the obvious fact she was the killer… but there's no reason for her to have lied about that. If anything…" I looked at the noble. "My good sir, may you please assemble all your servants in front of us?!"

The Raichu, however, wasn't so adamant about this situation. "I demand you cease this foolishness and leave my home this very instant!"

He wasn't willing to cooperate… but Varsha had already joined the cause and looked at the electric type. "Do as he says and you shall be rewarded handsomely with the priciest silk I can weave." The effect took some time to take place, but the Raichu only had to take a glance at his wife to know the answer to that request. He ordered his servants to line up, and sure enough, one of them was in fact, found to be missing.

"What the… Where is she?!" A female servant was missing, and I saw a pearl of nervous sweat roll down Ununga's face.

"I cannot tell you where she is… but I can tell you what happened to her: she was a mole. Probably Indomatia tempted her with some kind of bounty and she in turn gave the assassin information… precisely about what the method would be." I turned away from the Xatu and started walking, swaying the glass from side to side as I explained myself. "See, Indomatia's calling card are three rose petals with a peculiar scent… From that, one can deduce that they are a grass type… and it is a widely known fact that grass types and poison types are capable of enduring and creating some devastating poisons…"

"Yet none of them are capable of killing!" He rebutted.

"But see, we're not dealing with any normal assassin, mister Ununga. We're dealing with a professional, someone who far exceeds any other hitman before them… so in other words, someone like that could probably get their hands on a potent enough poison. She probably told this servant to pour it into the glass that would be served to miss Varsha… which I must mention that you yourself explained this curious fact to me, that each guest would be delivered a unique glass, and that only the servants knew of this fact… So once she got the poison into Varsha's drink, Indomatia only had to dispose of them… and tell you this information so you wouldn't accidentally drink the poison instead, as you'd be sitting next to Varsha." The Xatu was now clearly nervous. "You look pale, mister Ununga." I faked surprise and got closer, and he in turn tried to back away, falling back down on his chair as all the eyes were focused on us…

I simply handed him the glass and offered it. "Care for a drink?"

And that was the moment Ununga knew he'd been beat: if he refused the glass, he'd admit to it being poisoned, and if he drank it, he would die. Either way, he was trapped. Like a game of chess, where you must trap your opponent, I used all my pieces and emerged victorious in the end. Ununga let out a long sigh and then stared at me, then at Varsha, then back at me. "Well done, boy… She made a good choice by hiring you."

Those words were as good as a confession, but he wasn't immediately torched. Instead, he slowly rose from his seat and walked around the table. "For centuries, my people have endured countless dictatorships and civil wars… They have torn our once great region into a divided land, where traveling from one island to another can be the same as signing your own death sentence. I aimed to unite all the islands with help from other regions, to finally bring an end to my people's suffering… To eradicate illness and famine, and yet… All I would get were threats and insults. Once I learned of the way my people were treated outside of their homes… I truly wondered if I could consider you all fellow pokémon." Once he was in front of us, he stared at the crowd: he was crying.

"How can you treat us like this? The only difference between you and us is the place we were born in… and yet Hoennians are treated like criminals wherever they go! Once they are conceived, they have only two choices if they are not born into the ever richer families: to live and die a miserable life of famine and suffering, or to escape from their region, leaving their families behind just to find an honest job, to bring their family out of the hell they live in and have a normal life like the ones you enjoy… and yet you only spit and stomp on their dreams and hopes! You complain that they are criminals from the moment you learn of their origins, and yet you are the ones who label them so without knowing them! Your prejudices are the ones that create those criminals you hate so much! But they only do what they do to survive, because that's the truth of my people: they were never given a chance at a normal life, Hoennians are born thieves, murderers and rapists because you all say so, because you all benefit from our misery!"

"You sell the weapons you make so that these wars can rage on for years on end, you deny us basic services like medicine just to force us to come to your lands in order to enslave us… we mean **nothing** to you. Do any of you know how many of the pokémon I'm trying to save have died since this party started?! **Hundreds!** All those lives that could've been spent for good, all those innocent pokémon that could have helped make this a better world are dead! They are all **gone**!" He hit the floor with that last word. "And you don't realize it! You don't realize it until it's right in front of you! And when I'm gone, you will just as easily forget!" He could barely talk at this point, for he was crying profusely now, having fallen to his knees. "I simply can't accept… that this is our fate…"

After that he said nothing more, but only cried for his people, a sincere, heart wrenching cry that truly made me realize the who the real villain in this story was: the pokémon around me. Most were touched by his speech sure… but others just stood by, passive, not showing any signs of weakness… And at that core moment, I felt the need to cry. And I did. I cried for the Xatu that now lay on the ground crying for the lives of the pokémon that had never gotten a chance at life, and were relentlessly crushed by the cruel wars that waged in the land he so desperately wanted to call home.

As his wailing came to an end, he looked at me, and the tears in my eyes. He would not accept them, and I knew it. I was the one that had brought about his downfall, and then looked at Varsha, the woman he hated oh so much, who was sitting on her chair and sobbing sadly. "And you… you have doomed them all. How can you call yourself a hero when so many are still suffering? How can you accept the people's ovations and cheers when out there hundreds die each minute…" He could barely speak, sobbing still, and yet he managed to smile. "But time… shall put everything… in its rightful place."

* * *

As I finish this part of the story I can feel the tears falling from my eyes, and Dusknoir is holding his head in his hands. He is unable to say anything, and is quietly sobbing, touched by the speech I had reproduced for him. "Why… Were all those sacrifices… all the strife we went through…" He muttered, then slammed his fists on the table. " **Was it all for naught**?!" His voice echoed in the room, so loud it made me flinch. "We sacrificed so many things to bring the world back to its normal state… and this, this where we are now? Has no one learnt from the mistakes of the past?! Have only a select few decided to band together and walk towards a brighter future only for it to be darkened by those fools?!"

I remain silent, watching him closely as he recovers from his outburst, chuckling. "Perhaps in the end it was all just a stupid crusade… Eric's death, Grovyle and Celebi's strife, the resistance… all of it was just useless. Maybe I should've stayed at the head in the end and dominated everything and everyone with the same cruelty I showed… Perhaps Varsha was right. Perhaps those who plead for freedom and the ones least deserving of it." That phrase that I hate so much takes on a whole new meaning when Dusknoir says it, and I'm now frozen solid to my seat, unable to move or say anything for quite a while.

"...There's a little bit more, Dusknoir." I say, then I proceed with the last part of my tale.

* * *

Ununga was taken away after his final words, and was found guilty of threatening against the life of a public figure. To this day, he is serving a twenty year long sentence here, in this very prison… yet I dare not show my face to him. The Zebstrikas and our carriage were found far away from the house, in the middle of the fields, still under a primal rage that made it unable to approach the carriage until they returned to normal. Once they did, they were horribly shaken by the news that they'd killed poor Fabio, and of course, the letter was nowhere to be found.

We returned to home in silence, a bittersweet taste lingering in our mouths as we looked somewhere else but at each other. Only Varsha dared to break the silence once we entered the manor and went up the stairs. "Well done, Mister Jake… You will…" She could barely pronounce her words. "Your team will receive the payment for a well done service… and you shall leave my house tomorrow morning. A ship will be ready and waiting for you in Pontavicel…" And with that, Varsha headed to her room and shut the doors behind herself.

Jiho and I were now alone in the hallway, unsure of what to think or say anymore. I searched for her gaze and couldn't find it, evading my attempts to look at her in the eyes by shaking her head. She was probably disgusted I'd exposed such a man, whose noble intentions had been corrupted by the evil I had defended that night… needless to say, I was disgusted with myself too, and headed to my room in silence, shutting the door but forgetting to lock it. I quickly took off my torn tuxedo and tended to my wounds, which were not at all severe. Once I was properly taken care of I lay on the bed and reached for my crystal. I wanted to inform my friends of what had transpired, to try and find some support… but I decided against it. Not even Serge's jokes would help me at a time like this, and the last thing I wanted was their sympathy, to tell I'd done the right thing…

Disappointed with the world, I grabbed the sheets and slipped into bed, blowing out the only candle that kept the room from being plunged into penumbra. The stars and the moon shone in through the blinds, as if telling me I could not escape from my guilt, even if I tried to cower behind my defenses. I took the sheets off, unable to rest or conceive sleep, and simply lay on my bed, looking up at the plain ceiling in my room. I could not stop thinking about Ununga's plea… I hit my pillow in frustration. How could I have been so blind? Had I done the right thing or the wrong thing? Was Ununga right? Or was it right to bring him to justice? I didn't know what was good or bad, correct or incorrect… Black or white had suddenly melted together into a blend of grey I simply couldn't process, and I tried to escape it by hitting that pillow and holding back tears of pure frustration.

I must've spent minutes like this, until I heard the sound of the room to my door opening. For a split instant I thought it was Indomatia, there to either taunt me further to finish what she'd started… but it was Jiho, wearing that same Kimono. "Jake… can I come in?"

I sat up and looked at her. Even in the darkness, she must've seen me nod, as she came in the room and close the door behind her. "I don't know what to believe anymore… Killing is horrible, yet Ununga never got his hands bloody… but all those pokémon… all of us… our hands are dirty, Jiho, dirty with the blood of those poor pokémon… I can't sleep peacefully knowing that." I was crying again, Arceus help me I couldn't stop crying. It was like that future I thought I'd left behind long ago.

She could now look at my true form, at what I really was: a scared, traumatized Sneasel, that hid his true self and emotions under an exterior of passivity and calm. I thought she would burst out laugh at me at any second as my emotions took hold… but she instead floated past me, and stood under the moonlight. And then begun speaking.

"We are all servants Jake… servants to our own hearts. We will sometimes do things we cannot explain, because that is our nature… My misst- Varsha, she tried to keep our hearts in chained, but I've broken free from her grasp… only to find there are chains around mine too. And yours as well. And everybody's… because we all attempt to hold back those emotions, to try and think rationally… but in the heat of the moment, we follow our hearts. Ununga did just that. He tried to persevere through pacifism… but once he saw the truth of what he was going up against, he knew that his people were slaves to them… and would never let them go. Because a master won't let go of a servant until they're dead, Jake… That's what you've shown me." I looked at her, and I wanted to tell her she was wrong, that this wasn't the case… but I barely had the strength in my own heart to tell that to myself.

"But Ununga did what he thought was right… and even if he has failed, some will still remember and interpret his downfall as a sacrifice to show the evil in this world… so even then, he will have succeeded in a sense… and his heart is most likely okay with that." She grabbed the folds of her Kimono. "And I want your heart to be free too, Jake…" Her kimono dropped to the floor, and I saw her, naked under the moonlight. Showing me all she had been hiding from me. "I am free… and I want you to be free as well. Free to make our own choices in a world where we all serve someone else." I stood up slowly, and approached her, weighing her words… I wasn't thinking straight, and my body, my mind, my heart… they demanded comfort, something to drown out the tears and the pain…

And so I wrapped my arms around her, as she did with me… and we melted into a kiss tainted with tears of joy, sadness, relief… a long kiss that we didn't dare break in fear the other would cry again and crumble down into pieces. For that sole night, I was at my weakest… and I had someone who could support me.

* * *

"...The next morning, we didn't say anything. There was no need for words between us. We believed we were one and the same, made for each other… and even as I got on that ship, even as I saw Varsha put her hand on her weak, frail shoulder, and even as she cried and called my name as I waved goodbye, disappearing into the horizon… I thought so too, that we would be together forever." Dusknoir looks at me with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face… I can not tell what they represent… but my tears are those of pain and deceit.

"But I was wrong. We exchanged letters for quite some time, letters filled with passion and love, which I hid from my colleagues, where she told me her mistress was now making less money, that her business had taken a hit, and that part of her earnings were being taken somewhere else… Things were horrible, she said, and that she wanted me to go and say hi… but I was always busy, always somewhere else with my companions. My heart ached, divided between my duties and my love… until one day they stopped altogether. No more letters came… until that one day."

The sound of loud knocking snaps me out of my tale. "Ten minutes!" The voice outside shouts, signifying that we were running out of time…But I barely care.

"Two weeks ago, I returned with Serge and Zed from a mission, and found some letters on the table. SOme of them Eric and Elly had already opened, since they were for the team in general or for them, while others remained sealed. And to my shock, one of them was dedicated to me. Serge teased me, and asked if I had a secret admirer, but I ignored his words and quickly rushed with the letter to my room, opened it and lay it on my desk… And began reading words that shall never leave my mind until the day I lay in my grave."

 _Hello Jake,_

 _You haven't gotten many letters from me as of late, and I apologize for that… but something remarkable happened not too long ago, and I simply had to stay quiet for a few weeks. And I must also apologize to you by saying that things were much worse than I let on in my letters._

 _After you left, Varsha had seemingly changed. Her business took a hit from the Ununga Scandal, but she quickly recovered from it… but many things changed here, and for the worse. For starters, she "released" her servants, and directed them to Pontavicel, telling them that they were free to do whatever they wished or that they could remain there with her. What a cruel joke. Many of the servants stayed out of pure necessity, since they didn't have anywhere else to go or any education to speak of… She demolished and changed the servant rooms for a private studio, and she paid the servants that still worked for her with poké… But in the end, they were still serving her. It was still slavery, but through many complicated loops and holes._

 _She freed all but one: me. I was still next to her when you left, and at first she was happy to see you gone… and yet slowly she grew lonelier and angrier. You had left your mark on me, and she wasn't happy with it, and we fought many times, shouting and screaming… yet she never touched me, surely because she knew that she had no control over me anymore: I was free to do what I wanted. I tried to convince the new "servants" of their true situation, but they wouldn't listen. She'd already gotten to them… that manipulative monster…_

 _I sometimes think back on that night, when we defended her and saved her from Indomatia… and I realize something… that maybe we did do the wrong thing. She learned nothing from him Jake… nothing. She kept telling me that a part of the money was being destined to help those in need in Hoenn… but then she kept those Hoennian servants with her all the time… A hypocrite, just as always._

 _But then I pleaded she let me go see you... and that was when she got angry. She started crying, she pleaded I didn't leave her alone, I replied it was what she deserved, that you'd poisoned my mind… We went on and on and on, to the point that when she discovered I was sending you letters without her knowledge… she forbid me to do so, and put everything in my way to keep me, hence why I wasn't able to message you. And so I waited for your letters to ask me what was wrong… to tell me that I'd forgotten you… to tell me you didn't love me anymore… to tell me you hated me. Yet those didn't arrive either, and I knew she must've kept them away from me… and I remembered, right then and there, what I told you on that night when we became one… A servant can never be free… until their master dies._

 _And so, that same night, I quietly got out of room… Grabbed a knife from the kitchen, one of the knives that had been used countless times to slice, dice and prepare exquisite meals at that home, took it up to her room and buried it in her chest. I can picture your face right now, that smile as I finally take my freedom from my master, just as you did yours. Yet nobody knows of that, do they? Because you wouldn't have come to me if that was the case, you wouldn't have told me those things either… you would've been lying to me all along… but I knew you weren't lying. So I stabbed her again. She was quiet through the whole thing, even if she woke up. Perhaps because I pierced her lung and wasn't able to do anything other than whine as the knife tear her chest apart. WIth the last of her strength I remember she reached up to try and slap me away… but she could only caress my cheek, a gesture I thought would've been more appropriate for a mother… but she wasn't a mother. She was my jailor. My warden. And I was finally free. The warm blood on my hands was a sign of it._

 _I had to run away after that… not all good deeds are rewarded as much as they should, and sometimes they're criticized. I saw that in your team, how you saved the world and yet those greedy bastards dismissed you. Oh, how right Ununga was all along… I did the right thing in telling Indomatia that the letter was hidden in the carriage… and though I was sad that Fabio had to go, it was a worthy sacrifice. Now, I have found others like me: we seek emancipation, to create a new world where those pokémon that rule above us are put through their appropriate punishments… we will make sure that in this world of masters and servants, we are all the masters of our destiny. And we shall do it by force if we must._

 _I will be waiting for you my dear, on Blizzard Island, to the south of Sinnoh… I know you will come… because you love me, right?_

As I finish my retelling of that haunting later, I am visibly shaking in my seat, and Dusknoir was leaned over the table and placed his great hand on my shoulder, listening to my every word. I can feel it, the grip on his hand, the disappointment… "After that… I cried. I paced around my room. I grabbed my chair, wanted to smash it on the floor… I coated the floor with ice, then let it melt… Elly screamed at me, but I didn't care… I did many things as I tried to control what now surged inside me… An emotion that I simply can't describe. Rage. Frustration. Sadness. Horror. What had I done? Arceus what have I done? I needed to go find her… to tell what she'd done and said was insane, that it couldn't be true… but deep inside of me I knew it to be true, and I knew that I'd created a monster."

I try to hold back the tears. "Where? Where did I go wrong? I still don't understand…"

"No no no, Jake… Don't blame yourself for that, you couldn't have possibly known she'd take it like that… And if you're looking for a culprit then… look in front of you." I rose my eyes and stared at Dusknoir, and I shook my head repeatedly.

"No no please don't say this please…"

"But it's true Jake, you… you're just a symbol… a symbol of everything bad I've done in my life." I freeze and look at him. "Everything I've ever done that I regret… it's reflected on you. I took you into my care and used you like a tool for most of your life… and even as I started to grow fond of you… you were still a tool to me. The way I taught to suppress your emotions… just listening to you right now, confused and scared of feeling… It makes me question whether or not I've been a good role model for you, if I educated you the right way… She's not the monster you yourself have created… she exists because of me, I'm the catalyst in all this."

"Stop!" I get up and slam my hands on the table. "That is not true!" For the first time in my life, I feel that I must show my emotions… my weaknesses were my biggest strength at this point. "You… helped me. I wouldn't have survived for as long as I did without you. You may have not been the perfect mentor… but you were the best mentor I could've ever asked for." He looked up at me, shocked. "She… misunderstood me… Perhaps I was wrong to judge Varsha so harshly, and she only saw that side of me: the side that relied purely on logic and fed on those negative emotions I tried to hold back… My emotions got the best of me in the worst way possible again… And this has happened. Perhaps you may have some fault in this, that I do not know… but what I'm just as guilty as you are."

I sit back down and we both look at each other. My heart skips a beat as I see him smile. "I see a lot of myself in you Jake… both the bad things… and the good things." He looked at the ground and shook his head. "I can tell that this whole experience has affected you greatly Jake, otherwise you wouldn't have been so passionate about it. Your love for Jiho could have been misguided, an explosion of those emotions you held back within you, just as she couldn't contain her emotions too… but at the end of the day, one of you was able to remain sane, while the other found themselves drunk with them." I look away and listen to his wise words… he was right. Perhaps I had been too rash.

"You can't control your emotions perfectly yet Jake, and I am to blame for that, because I pushed you beyond what should've been allowed… and now here we are. But don't beat yourself up for this… because it will no doubt hurt your friends, yourself… and me."

I nodded. "I won't… I realize now that this was my first experience, but… I am afraid now, Dusknoir. The pain I felt, and what I still feel…" I grasp my chest. My throat is dry, my stomach churns and twists, my lungs lack the oxygen I need and heart pounds against my ribs, demanding exit… "I don't want to feel like this… I wish it would've never happened to begin with."

However, he shakes his head, now crying. "But Jake… that's exactly what I meant. Back then, I was someone obsessed with being remembered… no matter the cost. To be remembered one must do great things, and my foolishness great things could only be achieved should one do the right things at the right times, act logically… and never emotionally. But I too once felt love, I too once felt all these emotions you've suppressed… and you have felt much more that I took a long time to experience. Your friends have helped you realize this… hence why I told you to stay with them."

"I don't know… what type of bond exists between us anymore… But what I do know, Jake, is that I shall be there whenever you need me. And this is such a time. Jake: it is better to have and to lose, than to never have. Conserve the memories, of the people you've come across your journeys… and they, in turn, will make you progress and walk towards your own personal truth." With those words I get up and hug him. I don't know what exists between us either… but whatever it is… I'm happy that it does. My doubts and questions don't fade away immediately, but I now know what I must do.

A few minutes later after we've broken away and cleaned up, the guards come in and order me to leave. We were half an hour over the allotted time, but neither of us cared. I was glad to have told someone else this tale, as glad as I am of telling it to you now… Please, do not make the mistakes I made should you come across something like this.

I have learned the hard way that some people in our world don't deserve that freedom… but they are given it anyways, and I am fine with it, as for every sentient being that uses that freedom for evil, another hundred do something amazing for it. But we must all wake up, because it is true we live in a world of masters and servants… and the only thing we all agreed on: Dusknoir, Varsha, Ununga, Jiho and I… is that we must all rise and become the masters of our freedom.

 **I do not own Pokémon, any of the species or the original world the games took in, and are owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, the Pokémon Company and the designers that invested their time and effort to give us these fantastic creatures. I however, own the original characters, plot lines and environments presented in this fic.**

 **Special thanks to: my reviewers, for supporting me and giving me advice on how to write this chapter, my beta reader, WesternFail, for correcting the sometimes appalling mistakes I made in my haste, and of course to my readers for reading the chapter and taking me to where I am right now. Without you, none of this would be possible.**

 **Thank you,**

 **Eric566**


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